A New Beginning
by djmay71
Summary: Kevin Wordsworth left Team One. Who is his replacement? Follow the journey of a new SRU officer both on the job and at home, and the stresses the job poses. Original characters. Post 4x5 Season 4; Episode 5. Shakespearean themes.
1. Introduction

**A/N: Thanks for checking out my first story on Fan Fiction . I hope you enjoy and I'm looking forward to reading some reviews. (Constructive Criticism is welcomed.)**

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><p><strong>Chapter One: Introductions<strong>

I looked up to the black ceiling. Thoughts and emotions, swimming through my mind.

I think of my tactical training. The Run'n'Gun setup, the procedures of talking violent persons down. _Am I capable?_

_Of course I'm capable. _I think to myself. _Security training at twenty two- youngest graduate in the class. 2 years of guarding a multinational shipping company, then 4 years of Border Services at the country's busiest border crossing. Challenged the Police Academy- the youngest to challenge and pass the Academy in the last twenty years. Six years policing in a small town detachment, making my way from Constable to Staff Sergeant. Transferred to the meanest, baddest streets with Toronto Police Service as Patrol Constable, working the night shifts._

I then realized I was wearing a huge grin.

The clock says 3:55am. It'll go off in five minutes, with a continuous audible alarm of approximately 65 decibels. _It'll probably wake up Haley and the kids. I should turn it off, before it does._

I tried swinging my right arm around to turn it off, but I couldn't.

_What the hell?_

To my right, I realize that my wife- Haley is sleeping on it. Beautiful, full of grace, angel from the sky Haley. I think back...

_High school sweet-hearts from sixteen. Had our daughter- Megan, a month after graduation at eighteen. Worked odd-jobs for four years, barely supporting the family. Got serious, got married- moved down east for two years. Moved back home for 4 years. Did the Academy, then worked my butt off for six years to pay off our debts. After that, moved to Toronto, been happy, and had Matthew two years ago._

Finally the alarm went off.

As expected, Haley woke up and rolled over. The baby started crying.

Quickly turn off the alarm.

Got up, grabbed my undershirt and made my way to the washroom, which is down the hall. It'll take me about 30 minutes to get ready, including my personal 5-minute "get the blood pumping" workout.

Haley entered Matthew's room and picked him up out of the crib, and started rocking him back to sleep. She gave me a look. _What the hell kind of look is that?_

She walks forward and plants a passionate kiss on me.

"Hope you have a good first day, hun." She says.

What a doll- that's why I love her.

Megan's door flashes open. It's a blur of long brunette hair (much like her mother), and scantily clad night clothes. _I thought Haley was going to talk to her about that._

"Dad! What the hell?" she angrily asks me in passing, as she enters the open bathroom door, slams it shut (which makes Matthew cry again), followed by locking it.

"I had to wake up early Megan, for my new job."

"I don't care!"

"You had to get up anyways for school, right?"

"No! Calculus was cancelled!"

"How long you going to be Megan?"

"Don't know- don't care!"

_First day on the job- having breakfast at work._

**A/N: So this was more of an introduction chapter, as you can tell. Now obviously, its in first person, with the POV on this mysterious new Team One SRU Officer. What's his name? Keep your eyes, peeled, it'll be coming! (along with some of our favourite Flashpoint characters!)**


	2. Meet The Team

**A/N: So you're thinking- whoa! Two chapters posted in less than 10 minutes of each other? Wow! This guy writes fast! Well, in actuality, I initially wrote two chapters. After this, I'm planning on writing and posting a chapter each week, posting just a few days after our new episode of Flashpoint airs. (To keep our Flashpoint addiction fed, of course.)**

**Hope you enjoy! Don't forget to read & review!**

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><p>I pulled into the SRU headquarters parking lot. I parked the minivan beside a Ford Flex.<p>

_Haley's going out with a friend shopping, while Matthew stays at home with the sitter. I hope its not the one who let him eat chocolate all day._

I noticed a man getting out of the Ford- I recognized him from the recruiting process.

After getting out, I slid open the sliding door, and grabbed my bag. Actually, it was a bag, and another small bag full of stuff I wanted to put up in my locker.

The other man was staring at me as I closed and locked the van.

"I don't recognize you." he bluntly said.

"Kris Perrasmith." I introduced myself.

"Just joking. I recognize you. Hard to forget you know. The only guy in a field of potential hires over 25 and married."

"I take it you're married to then, right?"

"Yup. Nearly sixteen years."

"Good for you, Mr. Lane."

"Hey." he said, as he opened the door for me, and followed me in, "Call me Ed. Or Eddie. Just don't call me bald."

"Copy that Ed."

"Locker room's this way, but I have someone I want you to meet first."

He brought me to the womens locker room, opened the door slightly and yelled in "You decent?"

"Yea." came a woman's reply.

"Come on." Ed said.

"Seriously?" I said, following him in.

"What- your wife would kill you if you walked in on her in the washroom?"

"No. My sixteen year-old daughter would."

"Good luck handling that buddy."

"Oh, I need more than luck with her."

We finally got down to the right isle, locker's on either sides.

A woman, fully dressed in perfectly pressed grey uniforms, closed her locker quickly, as if to hide something.

"Hey. You're the new guy, right?" she asked.

"Yeah. Kris Perrasmith. Just call me Perra, got used to it down in unit 52."

"Mean 'ol 52 eh?" she said, as she shook my hand, "Jules. Jules Callihan."

"Alright, let's go. We need to suit up."

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><p>Me and Ed suited up. We still had a good ten minutes before our scheduled group workout and weigh-in, so we started talking.<p>

"Oh, I now eh?" Ed said, "I hate going shopping with her, you know? It's always 'No, honey, that doesn't make you look fat.' "

"But you say that five times in a row, and you're in the doghouse, right?"

"Damn right, Perra." Eddie said, "It's like I say, I can talk down career criminals, but I'm at a loss for words when it comes to my wife or son."

"How old's your son?"

"Almost sixteen. Moodiest teenager I know."

"Don't even get me started on that."

A blonde-haired man entered the locker room. He opened his locker and threw his bag in, and started getting dressed.

_Frustrated? He's visibly stressed._

"Sam? What's going on?" Ed asked him.

"Nothing boss," he said, as he turned around and recognized me, "Mr. Perrasmith, otherwise known as Perra."

"That'd be me."

"I wouldn't forget ya. ¼ inch MOA at 500 yards with .308 civy ammo. Impressive."

"See- told you." Ed said with a smile, when another guy came in, in full uniform.

"Ed- Parker is looking for you."

"Thanks Spike. Get our new guy here, Perra, outfitted with radio and headset." Eddie asked, "See you guys in the gym in ten, right?"

"Copy that." the three of us said, in unison.

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><p>After Ed left, Spke led me over to the equipment pit, where all the firearms, and other gear was kept.<p>

"So- first year behind the blue badge?" Spike asked.

"No. Did two years in 52 before jumping on here. Before that, six doing a small town gig."

"Nice. Good to have a regular blue in, instead of a rookie blue."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah- we had a regular blue in a few years back, while our girl Jules was healing after being shot in the field. She got transferred to Team Three, as Sergeant. Then about a year ago, after one of guys was killed..."

"Killed?"

"Don't ask. We were close. I'm still kinda shook up about it."

"Damn- I'm sorry."

"Nothing you can do about it. Not looking for sympathy."

"Look, I didn't mean to..."

Spike handed me my gear, and I begun setting it up.

"To be honest. I could use a friend OK?" Spike said. "Wanna be my friend?"

"Sure."

"Then don't talk about Lew."

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><p>We walked out to the gym, where me, Jules, Sam and Spike approached the still-standing Ed and Sergeant Greg Parker.<p>

"Mr. Perrasmith. We're welcome to have you. I think you'll make a wonderful addition to our team here."

"Thanks." I replied.

"Ok team- new deal for the morning. Apparently- Donna from Team Three needs the gym to re-qualify some of her guys. So, we're going on patrol."

"Alright!" exclaimed Spike.

_He must love patrol days._

"But," Parker continued, "We do have to remember that it is Valentine's Day. Busiest day of the year. So, we're gonna be Jules and Sam- alpha, Ed and Spike, bravo, and in the truck will be me and Perra."

"What if I want him?" Ed said, mockingly, "No offense Spike."

Spike smirked.

"First day and they're already fighting over you. Awkward." Jules whispered into my ear.

Suddenly, an alarm went off.

Over from the dispatch desk, a curly haired woman- Winnie, called out, "Team One, hot call."

"Talk to me Winnie." Greg said to Winnie over the headset, as we ran to the equipment pit to grab our gear.

"Woman pulled a gun on a co-worker at work. She's saying something about her husband having an affair."

"Ok- feed me on the fly."

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><p><strong>AN: I finally got this chapter and the description back up and running (format wise). Thanks for sticking to me! I would upload my third chapter, but I can't, so I won't. :P **


	3. First Call

**A/N: Alright. New chapter coming your way. Hope you're enjoying it. I also noted that my previous two chapters got screwed up. I'll get all that fixed within the next 24 hours.**

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><p>Our assigned duos were thrown out the window.<p>

When I got to the garage, I opened the back of one of the black SUVs. Just before I could put my gear into the SUV, Ed calmly came by and said, "Hop in with me."

Confused, I followed Ed, and put my gear in the back of his SUV.

"Radios?"

"Check."

"Magazines?"

"Check."

"Breaching kit?"

"Check."

"Flashbangs?"

"Check."

After the quick equipment check I had a moment to take in the surrounding scene.

_Everyone just works right off each other. They compliment each others action palettes._

I snapped back to reality, as I threw my MP5 in the back seat of the SUV and got in the passenger side.

Finally we took off.

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><p>Parker and Spike lead the convoy, followed by me and Eddie, and Sam and Jules taking up the rear. The command truck was 5 minutes out.<p>

"Ok Team," said Parker over the radio, "We got two unidentified women- one holding her co-worker hostage at gunpoint. Talked to the uniforms and security on scene at the Vista Towers: We have a 6-floor office building, and security has cleared floors one, four and five of all civilians. Uniforms have set a hard perimeter. No one in or out. Detectives on scene are reporting that the armed woman was mentioning an affair. We also have conflicting identifications- some reporting the hostage as Emily Dryder, an eighteen year old intern, and some saying its Samantha Smithers, of thirty-three years of age."

"Terrific." Eddie muttered, "Spike, we got blueprints?"

"On the PDAs."

I pulled out my PDA and showed Ed the schematics.

"Ok team," Ed bellowed through the radio, "Spike, your on intel in the truck. Me and Perra are alpha, stealth entry from roof exit, clearing floors six to three. Sam, Jules; entry through rear employee entrance, clearing floors one to three. First team to find our girls will get eyes and ears in- do you copy?"

A combination of "Yes Sir", "Copy that" and "10-4" rang through the radio.

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><p>Finally on scene, I grabbed the MP5 from the back seat, clipped it to the modular load bearing vest. From the back hatch, I grabbed the bags containing the snake cameras, audio receptors, breaching kit, lock picks, and the door stethoscope.<p>

I followed Ed up the fire escape. Spike must've been moving fast on the intel because he had an update for us.

"Ok Ed, I'm tapped into the security camera feeds- we got one hundred and twenty three stationary cameras in hallways and common areas only. None of the offices."

"Spike, I got some info for you to run," came Greg's voice.

Me and Ed listened in, but we were too caught up in our duties to really catch wind of the information that Greg had.

Ed got up to the roof exit door. He took the right flank, and I got the left. He tried the handle. Locked.

Understanding my role, I selected the two lock picks required for this lock. In seconds, the lock bolt receded.

"On my count Bravo." Ed said, "One, two, three!"

Ed entered the building, and I followed. We immediately scanned the area and continued on. Now facing us was a set of steps that went to the sixth floor mezzanine. Using the piggyback system, Ed descended and I covered his flank. He did the same as I descended.

"Sixth floor mezzanine clear." Ed claimed.

Again, we descended next flight of stairs. The sixth floor. I readied the door stethoscope.

Ed covered my front, as we pushed forward. We stopped at each office door and I pressed the metallic pad of the door stethoscope to the door, to listen and hear if there was any noise on the other side. By clearing the offices this way meant the call would be more efficient.

"Bravo- what's your status?" Ed asked.

"We need EMTs! 2nd Floor at office 2345, overlooking the atrium! Spike look back on the cameras, see if we can find our shooter!" Sam instructed.

"Sixth floor clear!"

Again, down more stairs. At the bottom of these stairs though, were two security guards.

"The floor has been cleared." one guard whispered, "Offices checked, no one is hiding."

"Thank you sir," I responded, as me and Ed methodically carried on, "Wait here, and an officer will be up to evacuate you."

As we walked away, I spoke on the radio for the first time, "Spike, two Security guards at fifth floor stairs descending black wall requiring a uniform evac."

"Good to hear your voice Perra," Spike replied, "I can get your voice registered with the auto-transcriber now."

"This is SRU Constable Scarlatti requiring available uniforms at Vista Towers, fifth floor stairs descending black wall for a civilian evacuation." Spike said, as he put out an all-call.

"Second floor clear" Jules radioed in.

"Where are you?" Ed muttered, just enough so I could hear him, but not enough for the radio to pick it up.

I put the stethoscope up against the door. This time I heard faint yelling, and crying- at the same time.

"Eddie." I muttered, "Got joy."

"Boss- office 4111, to a Jade Mirth." Ed informed over the radio.

Ed didn't have to tell me. I silently slid off my backpack and got a snake camera and started feeding it under the door. Using the handheld screen I got it into position. I pressed the big blue button.

"We got eyes," I muttered over the radio, "Two women. Gun confirmed. Looks like a 1911 frame, holding ten rounds."

"Nine if the civilian on 2nd was shot." Ed reminded. "Sam?"

"Talked to our victim. She saw the woman coming up the hall, and she tried to get the gun away from her. Superficial damage to her upper left leg. Size of the wound suggests a forty five automatic Colt pistol." Sam described.

"Boss-" said Jules, "While she was trying to get the gun, she managed to get a partial of the serial number. Spike, sending it on the PDA."

"Copy that." Spike replied, "I'll run it through the restricted registry."

"Perra-" came Greg's voice on the radio- "We got ears yet?"

I had just finished setting up an audio receptor to the video snake. "Roger that. Ears online."

Spike must've routed the audio that he was receiving from the receptor into the radios, because I could now hear the two women in the room, as if they were standing right next to me.

"Say it! Say it!"

"Nooo..."

"You cheated with my boyfriend!"

"No I didn't Marissa..."

Suddenly, the audio cut out, as Greg came over, "Ok- we got a read on our subject. Marissa Travers. Twenty six years old, we got the boyfriend here, and he's saying that she woke up this morning thinking that he had an affair. He tried reasoning with her, but she wouldn't listen."

"Where'd she get the gun?" Ed asked.

"Well, Mr. Weeks here has a legally owned handgun."

"And he didn't realize it was missing?" I piped in.

"Yeah, it's not adding up. I'm gonna try calling in."

The next five minutes were completely silent, but not without interest. Sam and Jules made their way up to us. Ed, Sam and Jules stacked up near the door, and Ed gave me hand signals to go to the next office and get a second pair of eyes in.

It didn't take me long to get the second eyes in.

"Second eyes in." I muttered over the radio.

"Spike what do you see?" Ed asked.

"There's no cover from your door, but the window looking to the south has been tinted from the outside, with about eighty percent tint."

"Ok. Boss?" Ed asked.

"She's shutting down. She wants an answer that's not there. I'm thinking a psychotic break."

"Ok, here's the plan." Ed instructed, as I got back to Ed, Sam and Jules, "Alpha on door entry, flashbang, and focus on the suspect. Sam, rappel down from fifth- window explosive entry, You'll have a two second head start before Alpha. Get the victim out of our line of fire. Jules- less lethal. Stay behind Alpha. Things go south, you'll need to descalate quickly."

"Copy that."

Sam took off for fifth floor. Me and Eddie stacked up to the door. To Ed's flank, was Jules with rubber bullets in her MP5.

"Sam, what's your 20?"

"Seconds away."

A few seconds after, Sam whispered into the radio, "Charge set. Ready for your go Alpha."

I had a flashbang readied in hand.

"Three, two..."

"Hold fire!" came Greg's voice, "The victim has been identified as Jade Mirth. She's pregnant. I repeat, pregnant. No flashes, no rubber bullets."

"Not much left in the tactical tool-bag Greg." Ed replied.

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><p>"We're gonna have to talk Ms. Travers down." Greg answered, "Jules, you up for this?"<p>

"Copy that." Jules replied.

Jules handed me her MP5. I put it in my breaching bag.

She knocked hard on the door.

"Marissa Travers? I'm Officer Julianna Callihan with the Strategic Response Unit. I'm here to help you."

"I just want the truth!"

"Ok. We can work on that Marissa. But can we open the door, so we can talk better?"

No reply came.

Jules nodded to me and Ed. Eddie opened the door, and covered Jules, while I angled my MP5 to cover the victim.

"Ed, Kris," came Parker, "She's volatile and unpredictable. That gun goes up at either victim or Jules, you have Scorpio."

Jules popped her head out from behind the shield- also known as Eddie.

"Marissa, I want to help you. But I need you to put the gun down."

"No!" she yelled.

I tensed up, thinking the gun was going up, but it never did.

"Marissa," Jules continued, "A gun won't solve anything. You want answers, I can understand that. But this isn't the way."

Marissa wept hard, and lost grip on the gun.

It dropped to the ground.

Ed went forward, and kicked the gun away from Marissa. He got his cuffs out and started to cuff her.

I went forward to Jade.

"Are you ok?" I asked.

She nodded yes.

"Ok, were going to have you checked out by the EMTs. Spike?"

"Copy that. EMTs on their way to Office 4111." Spike's voice rang out.

I looked over to Ed and Jules. Ed was moving out of the office with the suspect, taking her down to command post to be processed. Jules had picked up the gun used by the suspect, cleared the magazine and the round in the chamber, and placed it in an evidence bag.

"Good job team." came Parker's voice.


	4. Dr Toft & Suicide Notes

**A/N: Thanks for my followers. I honestly didn't think this would be such a hit. As promised- this is this weeks Flashpoint fanfic chapter!**

**A/N: I also apologize for lack of update. To make up for it- this chapter was originally two chapters, so I combined it as a super-chapter. Enjoy! Read and Review!**

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><p>The next few days were great. The entire team- Ed, Jules, Spike, Sam and Greg really made me feel included. For once in my law enforcement career, not only did I feel like I belonged, but also that I was making a difference.<p>

It was Friday. Just had to get through this ten hour shift- which included a Warranted Arrest, and Team One would be off for three days. I must've warmed up to Eddie, because he invited me to a BBQ at his place for the weekend.

Wording that invitation to the wife was something else.

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><p><em>Last Night<em>

_We sat at the dinner table. It was the first time this week that we had been able to eat supper together, as a family. If I wasn't working, Megan was at practise for the "cheer squad" or soccer, or Haley had a meeting about her freelance architecture. It was nice._

"So-Megan, how's school going?" I asked.

She gave me a look of distaste and said in reply "Fine", as she played with her food. "Why do we have to eat this shit?"

"Language!" Haley said, as she handed Matthew a few more cheerios.

_Why is he still eating cheerios? Shouldn't he be advancing to food that's more solid?_

"We're a family," Haley explained, "Your father needs to more protein and fibre content for work."

"And we're eating it because?" Megan argued.

"Because we support him."

"Anyways- talking about work-" I started,"The team leader- Ed Lane, invited us over to his place for a BBQ on Saturday."

Haley smiled and said "Good for you honey. You going?"

_Its like she didn't understand what I meant._

"Well, he didn't invite just me- he invited my entire family."

Haley's fork fell to her plate. "You want us to go? What happened to keeping our personal and professional lives separate."

"Just this once." I promised.

I could tell she had given in when she picked up her fork.

"Hey Megan," she started, "Want to go to a party on Saturday?"

Megan looked at me, then over to her mother, than back at me.

_I think she understands the sub-context here- _I thought.

"Who all is going to be there?" Haley asked, when Megan didn't reply.

"Well, Ed, obviously- his wife, Sophie, and Clark. I don't know if Izzy is going to be there."

"How old is Clark? Who's Izzy?" my wife asked, as I looked over to Megan, who was trying too hard to not be interested.

"Clark's nearly sixteen. Izzy, is his daughter- born about a month ago. Her name's actually Isabel I think."

"Anyone else?"

"Yeah, Kevin Wordsworth- he's the guy who I replaced. I guess he wanted to be transferred to Guns and Gangs. He's bringing his wife and three daughters. Spike said-"

"Hold on." Megan interrupted, "There's a guy on your team named Spike? That's so cliche!"

"You think?" I asked.

"What's his real name?" Megan asked.

"Michelangelo Scarlatti."

"That's sexier."

Both me and Haley stared at Megan- flummoxed by her previous statement.

"Anyways-" I continued, "Spike might drop by, along with Sergeant Parker."

"Sounds like a party." Megan said again- baffling her mother and father.

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><p>After suiting up in the locker room, I walked out to the gym area and sat on a bench.<p>

_I could start working out. _

_Nah- I'll wait. I know we have that warrant this afternoon. Ed will probably want to drill our entry again, and Parker will want to go through the details again._

I suddenly snapped out of my comatose-like trance when Greg approached me, with a man wearing a suit, and carrying two large briefcases in tow.

"Perra," Greg said, "We need to discuss a few things. Debriefing room?"

"Sure" I replied.

I followed Greg and the man into the room. The man invited me to sit with my back to the window. He sat down across from me.

Greg put the huge, garage-like door down, and simply yelling out to the dispatcher- "Winnie! No one in or out- understand?"

"Yes sir."

The man asked for my right hand. He attached a finger clamp, which would measure and calculate my heartbeat. He then broke open the other case to reveal a polygraph machine, and inserted the lead. He took a huge strap and strapped it around my chest. Again, he attached the leads to the machine.

Greg turned around.

"Wow doc- you don't waste time, do you?"

"Well, Sergeant Parker- when you have a flight to catch in two hours time, you tend to want to get things over and done with, am I right?"

"Perra- this is Doctor Toft. Military Psychologist." Greg announced.

"Enough crap- lets get going." Toft said, as he turned on the machine and Greg sat down. "Your name?"

"Perra."

"Full name."

"Kristopher Allison Perrasmith."

"Quite the handle. People make fun of you for having the middle name of a woman?"

"No. Allison was a nickname for my grandfather."

"Understandable." Toft replied, as he made a note in my file, "Perrasmith. That Irish?"

"Yes."

"Ok- I need a baseline. Tell me two truths and a lie in that order."

"I have two sisters. I have two kids, and I hate winter."

"Ok. Word assoication."

"Test."

"You started without me?"

"Yes."

"No thinking."

"Ok."

"Burgers."

"Greasy."

"Love."

"Life"

"War."

"Unnecessary."

"Job?"

"Perfection."

"Border Services."

That last one threw me for a loop, but I didn't hesitate to answer.

"Past."

"October 17th, 2009- you arrived on scene at a domestic disturbance with your partner Leanne Stines. What do you remember?"

"On the date of October..." I started.

"I'm not looking for a factual report, I'm asking for your personal observation at the scene."

"Blood. Woman- early twenties, overlapping bruises to the face, throat and torso. Naked. Attempted rape. Single gunshot wound to the chest."

"DOC?" Toft asked.

"Yes."

"Who called it?"

"I did."

"Where was your partner?"

"Stepped outside. Couldn't handle it."

"Suspect?" the doctor asked.

"Her brother."

"Of?"

"Leanne Stines."

"Ok." the doctor said, as he grabbed an SRU folder. "Were you aware that when you joined team one that they were under investigation."

"Yes, I was made aware."

"Were you told why?"

"Sergeant Greg Parker told me at my initiation that the application of the Priority of Life code was being questioned, in regards to Team One."

"Did he tell you to whom?"

"No."

"As I'm sure you are now aware, Team One is under investigation. Now- even though it is from the past- it will effect the present team one, which will in turn come to question the motives of Kevin Wordsworth stepping down, which allowed you the space to be brought on. Understand?" Dr. Toft asked in a condescending tone.

"Yes."

"Good. When was your last physical examination?"

"A month ago."

"Family history of dementia, paranoia, depression, diabetes, cancer, or heart conditions?"

"My father's father died of a stroke twenty years ago. My mother's father died of a heart attack in his sleep when she was sixteen. My grandmother on my father's side suffered a heart eczema, followed by colon cancer. My other grandmother has been legally blind since she suffered a grand mal seizure two years ago."

"That's very forth coming." Toft understood, "How often do you get an echo-cardiogram? When was your last colonoscopy? At what age did you grandmother have the seizure?"

"I'll get an echo when my doctor recommends one. I've never had a colonoscopy because my full physicals have never shown a sign of a cancerous or benign tumour. My grandmother had the seizure two years ago when she was 93 years old."

"Ok- here's the deal, Mr. Perrasmith-" Toft explained, "Strategic Response Unit Officers are meant to be in good mental and physical health. Your medical history is troublesome, but it will be noted that you will only need a full-physical to re-qualify."

"Ok."

"Enough about that- how's your personal life? When was the last time you spoke with your parents?"

"Two years ago."

"Why so long?"

"My mother has severe Alzheimer's. She can't remember her own name. And every time I speak to my father he nags me about moving back home to take an open position as Police Chief."

"Are you married?"

"Yes."

Toft stared at me. "Care to elaborate?" he asked.

"No."

"Protective of your family?"

"Yes."

"So protective- that you would break the Priority of Life Code to save or protect them?"

_He's leading you into a trap. What the hell am I supposed to say?_

I shut my eyes.

"That's enough Dr. Toft." Parker intervened, "Stop poking at something that's obviously bruised."

"Greg Parker- it is my job to find fault lines!" Toft exclaimed.

"Are we done here?" Greg yelled.

I winced. He yelled so loud, I figured people outside the room must've heard him.

"Yes. " the doctor said, peacefully, "Officer Kris Allison Perrasmith- you have been cleared for duty."

Greg got up and opened the door, glad for the session to be over.

"Your badge please, Officer Perrasmith."

I grabbed the metal badge of my belt, and handed it to the doctor.

"What's going on here?" asked a booming voice from outside the room.

I looked up.

It was Ed Lane.

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><p><em>On the other side of the door...<em>

Ed had just finished suiting up in the locker room. He knew that Perra was on site, and he figured he'd be over near dispatch or in the gym.

He approached the dispatcher's desk, where a different dispatcher- a man, with short brown hair sat, drumming his fingers on the desk, and looking to his watch every few seconds.

"Got a date?" Ed joked.

"Nah, just waiting for Winnie to get back."

"Where'd she go?"

"Washroom."

Ed looked around. No one in the gym, but he did note that the debriefing room door was closed.

"Who's in there?" Ed asked the dispatcher.

"No clue."

"Oh yeah, she's like a ten." came a voice behind Ed.

Ed looked back to see Spike and Sam discussing women, and ranking them on a scale of one to ten.

Ed didn't like the discussion, but he figured there could be worse things they could be talking about.

"Hey Sam. You see the boss?" Ed asked.

"No- but I did notice that huge Caddy out front. Who would own a ridiculous thing?"

"I think it's Toft's." came a female voice.

Ed looked over, and noted Jules coming forward, who was rapidly buttoning up her uniform shirt, although it didn't stop the entire team from checking out her form fitting, muscle mapping black undershirt.

"I'm sorry what?" Ed asked, bringing himself back to reality.

"Hey, Sam." Jules said, "I'm up here." she said, pointing to her eyes.

"Sorry" Sam muttered, as he sat down and started fiddling with his drop pouch.

"It's Toft's truck." Jules said.

From behind Ed, Winnie returned to the desk and overheard the conversation.

"Yeah- Dr. Toft is in."

"What team is he going to try to break up this time?" Ed asked dryly.

"You don't know?" Winnie asked.

"No. Who?"

"Sarge and Toft went in to the debriefing room about five minutes ago with Perra."

"What?" Ed asked, with tone, "On what grounds?"

"Dunno. Sarge only told me 'no one in or out' "

"Are we done here?" yelled a voice from behind the wall of the debriefing room.

The yell grabbed the attention of the entire team, as they all took in the door receding.

Inside the room, their new team-mate was handing his badge over to Dr. Toft.

"What's going on here?" Ed yelled.

* * *

><p>I shut my eyes.<p>

_This isn't happening. This isn't happening._

"Greg- what's going on here? Why is he talking to him?" Eddie yelled.

"Ed-calm down." Greg started to reason.

Toft took my badge, and looked at the back, and signed the paper insert.

"It's only an evaluation Mr. Lane." Toft said, as he handed me back my badge. "Don't worry he passed. Although- should I be talking to you instead?"

Eddie looked visibly frustrated. He looked like he wanted to tear Toft a new one...

"I got to go." Toft spoke to the entire team, as he packed up all of his things, "Hope you guys have a good day. I'll now if you step out of line." He threatened.

_Just another day at work. Only this time, we're already stressed, and we're not even at the half-hour._

* * *

><p>After the situation in the morning, things sort of smoothed out.<p>

We had a group work out in the gym until the Commander got in. We did our monthly weigh-in.

The lightest member, was obviously Jules, but the heaviest took everyone by surprise: Ed.

And from what Ed told me about himself, I found that surprising too.

_I mean the guy is the definition of peak physical fitness. It's guys like that who should be teaching fitness classes- not some pseudo-wannabe who used steroids to build muscle._

After the weigh-in Greg checked the status of the warrant. It still hadn't been faxed over to us yet, meaning we can't go out and do the Warranted Arrest.

We quickly went over the finer details of the warrant:

Justin Torrance, wanted for theft over five thousand dollars, grand theft auto, assault, assault with a weapon, sexual assault, possession of controlled substances- with intent to traffic, and possession of an unlawful firearm. Living at the residence of 1443 Steele Avenue, apartment 7B, with girlfriend Amanda DiCostanza. No known weapons in the residence, but we're expecting that he's packing. Our intent is to bring Justin in for his crimes, and keep Amanda safe. Although she has a few priors, only some small-time stuff including some unpaid parking fines, we figure if we can protect her, she might want to testify against her boyfriend.

Just another day.

* * *

><p>It was around 1400 hours, or 2pm, for those who aren't fluent with the 24 hour clock, when the warrant came in.<p>

We all assumed our roles.

Boss and Spike were hanging ten back in the parking lot, with a cruiser at the ready to put our guy in, after they evacuated the building, quietly of all other tenants.

Sam and Jules on window entry through white wall with less lethal.

Me and Eddie- front door breach, to contain and arrest.

* * *

><p>I carried the ten pound breaching sledge over my shoulder, as me and Ed eased into position.<p>

Ed surveyed the door, then took the right flank, as the door hinges are on the right- meaning I would have to take the left flank and breach from the left.

Ed gave me an approving nod.

We waited for the signal from Sam and Jules.

"Bravo in position" came Jules' whispering voice.

In my mind, the countdown started- _Three._

Ed shuffled into position- _Two._

I swung the hammer all the way back- _One._

The door busted open, with a velocity not meant to be hung from those hinges, causing the them to snap. With utmost haste, I dumped the sledge, and dropped in a flashbang.

Using the flashbang as cover, me and Ed entered.

Over at the window- Sam and Jules entered as Bravo.

In the immediate room- no one was present. As drilled Alpha took the east side of the apartment to clear, as Bravo cleared the west.

_Nothing._

"Sarge, we can stop looking." came Jules over the headset.

"Why's that?"

"Single gunshot wound, to the chest, Amanda- no pulse. Upward gunshot wound towards the brain stem on Justin. Looks self- induced based on the amount of gunshot powder on his skin."

"And there's a suicide note" Sam said, as me and Ed joined them to witness the murder-suicide for ourselves, "It says 'Haha cops, I saw you from a mile away.' "

* * *

><p><strong>AN: As you can tell- long chapter. I have a lot of good ideas for this storyline so keep your eyes peeled. As well- bonus question for my Canadian Readers: Where can a Canuck buy the 3rd season of Flashpoint on DVD? Can't find it anywhere!**


	5. The Party

**A/N: I know there's readers out there! I'd love to hear from you! Please read & review!**

**On a side note- other than my first chapter, this is the only chapter that I've actually sat down, and wrote from start to finish.**

* * *

><p><em>Family- oh dear, god family.<em>

"Dad!" Megan yelled from her room, as she was walking down the hall, "Can I drive?"

"Maybe-" I started, but then got a condescending look from Haley, "On the way home."

Megan slumped down on the couch with a snotty look on her face, as myself and Haley continued on instructing the babysitter.

"And make sure he's in bed by eight, please?" Haley asked. "He'll be grumpy in the morning if he doesn't get his sleep."

The babysitter smiled, as she held a fidgeting Matthew. "Phone numbers?"

"You have my cell" I said, as I showed her the cell on my belt, "I'll answer it."

"You can watch whatever you want on the dish." Haley promised.

"Alright, enough jibber-jabber Hales, we're already late!" I mockingly stated.

* * *

><p>We arrived at Ed's within the hour. I pulled the lumbering van into the driveway, beside a white Yamaha motorcycle, and behind another minivan.<p>

"Who drives the bike?" Haley asked as we got out.

"Sam." I said, as I knocked at the door.

"In February?"

"Got rid of his car. Complained about gas prices."

The door opened, and I was surprised to see Jules answer the door.

"Hey Perra." she said, as she welcomed us in, as if it were her place.

We entered the windowed foyer, and started to take off our boots.

" 'Perra' ?" Haley asked, "I thought the guys at 54 called you that."

"It kinda stuck." I answered.

"The man of the hour!" Ed said, as he got up, when we entered the living room, "Thought I'd have to put an APB out on your van!"

I chuckled. I noticed that everyone seemed to be in the room.

"Hey guys- this is my wife- Haley, and daughter, Megan."

Nervously, Haley and Megan smiled, and exchanged several 'hello's and 'hi's.

We all found a spot to sit, as Ed got up, "Kris- you want a beer? Could probably use a drink after that WA yesterday."

"Sure." I replied, as Ed left.

To Haley's left, Jules started a conversation with Haley.

"So what do you do Haley?"

"Architecture."

"Oh, are you with Brimington & Associates?"

"No, just freelance."

I noticed that Spike pulled out his cell-phone and had started a spirited conversation with Megan concerning technology- _A conversation I'm glad I'm not a part of._

A tall, balding man with his hands clasping with the hands of a small brunette woman came into the room with Ed, who passed me a cold beer.

"Wordy- this is Perra." Ed introduced, "And Kris- that's Shelley, Kev's wife." he added, as Shelley started talking with Jules and Haley.

"Pleasure's mine." I said, shaking his hand.

"I hear good things" Wordy said, as he took up a chair beside me, and Ed took a puffy armchair across from us.

"Wordy- you got competition; he cracked a double-pin, sheathed lock earlier this week in under a minute." jested Ed.

"Wow." Wordy said, impressed, "Using the Damascus?"

"You bet." I replied.

"And he scored perfect on the CQB obstacle course, with 14 DOTs in handgun and 32 in the CQB rifle!" Ed boasted.

"And don't forget the ¼ MOA at 500 yards." Sam said, as he came in from outside, "Ed- hotdogs are almost done."

"What our ETA on the burgers?" Ed asked jokingly.

"Two minutes away boss."

"Two? Jeez, I'll have a look at that thing!" Ed joked, as he followed Sam outside.

"So- Perra, how do you like SRU, seriously?" Wordy asked, as he took a swig from his beer.

"It's good. I love it. Makes the training academy feel worth it."

"Amen."

Together, we drank to that.

* * *

><p>When the BBQ was ready, it was like a free-for-all in the kitchen. At that point is when Clark, Ed's son joined us. Ed introduced us.<p>

"Holy crap," Clark commented, after I shook his hand, "You remind me of my dad."

"Why's that?"

"You look almost the same, well, except the hair...and..."

"And what?"

Clark leaned in and whispered, "A hot daughter."

I laughed- which reminded me, _Where the heck is Megan?_

Then I overheard Spike talking, "Well, you know, it does share the same operating system."

He was still talking to Megan- about technology.

I thought nothing of it, and graciously continued eating the free BBQ.

* * *

><p>After the dinner, Sam and Spike decided they wanted to hit up some clubs and bars, so they left. They had pestered Jules about tagging along, but she dismissed their invitation as "I'm enjoying talking to women instead of men all the time."<p>

The party seemed to split into cliques- the men: me, Ed, Wordy and Greg- when he came, in the den, playing billards and watching the hockey game and the women clamoured in the kitchen- with a witty remark from Spike before he left "Where they belong!"

Me, Ed and Kevin gave him a look of disapproval.

Haley, Clark, and Wordy's kids used the TV in the living room and started to play some rhythm-based, pseudo-guitar playing videogame.

* * *

><p>Whenever, it was time to leave, me and Haley had a few drinks, so we both gave in to Megan driving home.<p>

And actually it didn't go as bad as I thought. Being only her 3rd time driving, I was surprised to find the only mistakes she made was losing control of her speed a few times (followed by a nervous "Slow down!" cry from Haley in the back, as she instinctly pressed down hard on the floor) and forgetting to signal her intention of a right hand turn.

When we got home, Megan excused herself to bed, which I found odd. _She would normally stay up past eleven, and its not even ten._

After paying the sitter, she left, and me and Haley changed and retired to bed.

I laid in bed, thinking of the events of the night.

_I had a fun night. I really think I could fit into this..._

Suddenly- Haley broke my train of thought, as she laid down, and rolled over and planted her lips firmly on mine._ Her smooth lips..._

She sneaked her hand under my shirt and started to caress my toned abs. As she did this she I ran my had up her leg, stopping just before her pelvis.

"I want you in me." she suggested in my ear.

And without further instruction or distractions, I seducingly enjoyed every second of the next three hours.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I finally took good use of the T rating! This chapter was more filler than plot, and its more than obvious. Read & Review!**


	6. For Progress

**A/N: Wow- I haven't updated this in a while- sorry 'bout that! And even with a week off, it still took me forever to get this written, but I hope the _girth _of this Chapter makes up for my long absence. **

* * *

><p>Me, Spike and Jules nervously leaned against the wall in the gym waiting for the debriefing room door to open.<p>

_So this is what it feels like- to be on the opposite side of the door._

From the opposite direction- Sam approached. "Good call guys. Couldn't have done it without you. Lets go to the Goose- I'm buying."

Suddenly, as if on cue, the debriefing room door opened, and the commander, followed by Parker came out.

"Not so fast Braddock-" the commander started, "We're not done here."

"We're not done?" Jules asked, "No offense commander, but what part of that debriefing didn't you like?"

"It was by the book," Greg explained, "We went in, profiled our suspect, contained, and de-escalated the situation."

"So what's the problem?" Spike asked, as he sent a quick text on his phone.

"Special Investigations is stepping in."

Bewildered, we all looked at one another.

"They will be here in ten minutes, but lets get something straight here," Greg started, "None of you are in the wrong. SIU is stepping in because red flags popped up on the names on the paperwork."

"What?" Sam asked, "Because I was TL? I've done it before, why now?"

"Some of it is that Sam- but most of it is because of our new friend here-" the Commander said, nodding in my direction, "Because his name is on the paperwork saying he was Sierra One, who took the shot."

I felt like lashing out, but I had to contain myself.

"You ok?" Greg asked me.

I nodded 'yes'.

"Still sequestered?"

Again, nodded 'yes'.

"We'll have to talk to your lawyer about that."

* * *

><p>Slowly and steady, I raised the heavy dumbbell into the air, stopping at neck level. As I brought the weight back down to rest, I alternated with the other arm.<p>

It was workout time at work, and I was completely zoned out.

_Good weekend-excellent weekend. Ed's party on Saturday and went to Megan's soccer game on Sunday at the Bubble. Could have been better though, if that one ass-_

"Whoa, slow down there tiger." Jules said to be, as she picked up some 5 pound weights and started stretching.

In comparison to the weights I was using, the 5 pounders looked like insects. "You ok?"

"I'm fine." I replied, as I put the weights down, stretched the biceps and changed my grip from overhand to underhand.

"Yea?" Jules asked, with a wry smile, "Wanna practise some hand to hand?"

"Your on, short stuff." I replied, putting the weights on the rack, and grabbing the foam mitts for practising hand to hand. "Attack or defend?"

"Attack." she stated as I handed her the punching gloves, as I donned the foam shield gloves.

"Alright!" came a jeer from Spike, who had finished his cardio, coming to watch. "New guy versus Jules. Who will win Sam?"

Sam just looked over at Spike with a look of feinted confusion.

"Five bucks on Jules?" Spike asked Greg.

"As much as I have confidence in our girl, I think Perra's going to give her a run for her money."

"Bet?" Spike asked, as I stretched my muscles in preparation.

"Your on!" came a short, blonde haired woman, who appeared in the entrance-way.

"Money on who?" Spike asked with earnest.

"Perra." she replied.

"Dispatcher Keira Ford, putting her money where her mouth is- betting against our Julianna, who has a previous hand to hand record of five wins in her last five hand to hand matches."

"Spike!" I exclaimed, "If you want to commentate, do it during the match!"

Me and Jules finally stood across from each other on the foam mat.

"Go!" yelled Greg.

From the sides, I could already hear Spike and Keira egging us on. I filtered it out of my mind...

Jules didn't waste time. She started with a standard, quick one-two forward punch, easily met with the blockers. Using the backward momentum from the second punch, she sent a wild one up high. _An experienced jester would go for the downward tuck and forward tick- has she ever seen the side escape? _

I slid to the right, and her high punch flung through air. I brought the left blocker up to prevent a follow-up swing through punch, and quickly slapped her chest with the right blocker.

But it never connected- as she parried the move by squirming her chest backwards.

She let fly a faster three hit punch up high, all of which met the my foam gloved hands. I saw her dominate arm come low, for an attempted lower uppercut, and the other arm come to my right side. With milliseconds to spare, I deflected the right cut, and fell into a right side roll, and came back up, failing to allow the uppercut to connect.

Being on an exposed side, I double slapped her upper and forearm- nothing hard of course, just enough to know I had bested what seemed like a well-rehearsed move.

She came off-balanced from the double-slap, and I moved in closer. Again- she flung a wild punch up high, but I crouched low to duck- with success. Being occupied on bringing through a follow-up high to low cross jab, I slipped my right foam pad behind her leg, and knocked it out from under her.

I thought I had the match, as she started to fall, but she regained her footing, and launched a surprisingly fast quad-punch array.

I brought the blockers up and managed to block the first three, but the fourth wrapped around the blockers, and hit me square in the shoulder, which knocked me down to the floor mat.

Still having the forward momentum, Jules however, managed to land right on my chest.

"Sorry." she said, as she got up quickly, and removed one glove and offered a hand.

I took the hand, as she helped her team-mate up.

"Impressive." Jules whispered, as she gave me a genuine smile with a wink.

I looked around at the team- minus Ed, who I was hoping was here and would've witnessed the impressive array.

Suddenly, the call-horn rang out through the station. Over the intercom came Winnie's voice.

"Team One- hot call! Shots fired at Centennial College, Progress Campus in Scarborough. No response from the on-site security."

* * *

><p>Ed was off for the day, so I drove one SUV with Greg as my second. Behind us in the second vehicle was Jules and Sam, with Spike driving the command truck behind.<p>

After arriving on scene, we all piled into the command centre of the command truck, looking for intel before we made any move.

"Sam, you'll be running tactics for today," Greg instructed, "Jules, second negotiator, Spike-"

"Boss, we'll need Spike inside, " Sam pointed out, "Its a big place."

"No- we need intel more than man power-" Greg stated, but giving the manner some thought, called out on the headset, "Winnie- Team Four on standby?"

"Yes sir."

"Good- keep them there, if we need them, I'll let you know."

"Ok-" Spike said, having already worked his magic, "Found the camera that recorded the first shot."

We all turned our heads to the big screen, as Spike transferred it over.

On the screen, a man wearing blue stepped out of an office, with a handgun in his hand, and wearing a tactical vest, with several more rounds and magazines not only for the handgun but for the sub machine gun that was slung behind his back.

"Jesus" Jules said aloud, as they witnessed the first shot, as the man shot a young woman, point blank, in the head.

"Wait," I said, edging closer to the screen, "Spike- zoom in and render on his left shoulder."

Within seconds, and with a key key strokes Spike was able to do so.

"Its a crest," I explained, looking at the adorned shoulder patch, "Gold crown on a field of blue, overlooked by the white tower- Watchdog Security."

"Watchdog Security is the contracted security team on site." Spike lead on.

"Ok," Greg said with a thought, absorbing all the information- "Sam?"

"No clues on whether its a spree or select killings yet, so hard evac from main entrance on white wall only, uniforms at every entrance and exit. Jules, Perra, full building sweep with uni's securing areas cleared. Full gear- shields, flashbangs, and precision rifles if you need to go Sierra. Spike- we got a mechanical room somewhere?"

"Basement- north west corner." Spike interjected, after scrutinizing the blueprints.

"I'll get to the mechanical room and shut down the main power, so the place is running on auxiliary only. That should give us some advantage, although he does know the place inside and out most likely."

"Sounds like a plan." Greg stated, with a nod of approval.

Together, me and Jules left the truck and went to the second SUV. Inside, we both grabbed shields, bolt action rifles, and then quickly did an equipment check before heading into the building.

At the main entrance, Jules and I stacked up and pressed forward.

The first hall went on for as long as we could see. We stopped and evaluated the situation.

"Spike- any clue as to where this guy is?" I asked.

"No," came Spike's voice, "I think he put all the cameras on a delayed loop."

"Terrific." came Sam's voice, "Perra, Jules, be careful."

We continued down the hall, stopping every 20 paces to observe and listen in our surroundings for clues.

Finally, after about five minutes of silence, the power cut out.

"Sam-tell me that was you?" Jules asked.

"No- I haven't even been inside yet- I'm still questioning civies."

"He's two steps ahead of us. We need more to go on. Spike?" I inquired.

"Nothing yet, but our profile seems to be holding up- its definitely a security guard. Which you'd think would be a big help, but it isn't seeing as this campus alone has a security force of ten uniformed guards, and five undercover guys, when you include the residence guards."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something, down a flight of stairs.

"Right there!" I yelled, tossing down the shield to the floor, and bringing up my handgun, and with one swift move, turning on the under-mount flashlight. "Police! SRU! Stop right there!"

The man immediately fled, with me in tow. Over the headset, I could hear Jules barking something at Spike-

"Spike- North Wing, 1st floor, any read on whether this is our guy?"

"I don't know, I still can't find a way to disable the delayed loop."

I continued running.

"Hold on!" Spike exclaimed, "No way..."

I suddenly noticed green flashing lights on the wall, and a steel barricade wall coming down from the ceiling.

"Spike!" I yelled out, as I sprawled out into a slide on my back, to make it through to the other side.

But I never did. My booted feet slammed hard against the blast door.

"Blast doors, Spike?" I radioed to him.

"Yeah!" Spike said, enthusiastically, "He's in the lower level North Wing, and he's contained there. No way in or out."

"You sure? Don't forget this guy is security- he probably has all the codes and knows where the override stations are." I replied.

"No override stations in lower North Wing. It's a huge mock hospital wing, you know, to teach nurses."

"I'm aware." I came back with, as Jules caught up with me.

* * *

><p>"So now what?" Jules asked, thinking the obvious, "Spike- we need to get in there."<p>

"I can open the blast door you're at remotely." Spike replied.

"Will he know its being opened?" I asked.

"Maybe. Maybe not. Depending on where he is.

Behind me and Jules we could hear running footsteps. Together, we drew our handguns and turned on our heels.

"Police! Stop right there!" Jules yelled.

"I...I, go to, school here.." rambled on a young woman, "I saw green lights and I was thinking, like, 'what the fu-"

"Doesn't matter." I said, holstering my weapon, "Are you ok? Have you seen an armed security guard?"

"They're all armed- what do you mean? Why are you here?" she asked.

"Wow." I muttered to myself.

In the distance, I could see Sam running up to us, with a regular police officer in tow.

"Finally caught up, eh?" Jules asked playfully

"This officer will escort you out." Sam said to the woman, as they left.

After the woman and the officer were out of earshot, Sam continued, "Ok- new plan. Perra, your Sierra One. Spike will help you find a high perch overlooking the Lower North Wing. Me and Jules, will push through this blast door after Spike opens it, and push our guy into a corner, and talk him down."

"We got more of a profile?" Jules asked, tapping into her negotiator skills.

"Yeah, " Sam continued, "The boss is working on it. He'll feed you on the fly, and will be in your ear the entire time."

"Ok, Perra-" came Spike's voice, as I packed away my MP5 and readied my precision rifle in my hands, "From where you are, fall back about thirty feet, and you'll find a locked door leading into a staircase- that'll bring you up to the administration floor. From there, head north, and at the end of that hallway, there will be another staircase leading into lower north wing- I'd recommend you disable the door somehow so our guy can't get up there and fall in behind you. From there, back step back up to the administration floor, and continue down, from there, there's three rooms with nice big windows, perfect for a perch."

"Copy that." I replied, taking in the info.

I left Sam and Jules to their own devices, and retreated back to the locked door. At the door I slung the rifle to my back, and crouched down and inspected the lock.

_Easy-peasy. _I thought.

Silently, I lined up all the tumblers and swung the lock into the unlock position and opened the door.

I unholstered my handgun, and eased up the stairs.

To my left was the end of the hallway, and I was able to clear that, just by looking up. Using the pie method, I eased around the corner, clearing the area within my line of sight.

I slowly walked down the hallway, handgun in hand, scanning the area, and listening in to the action on the headset.

"Ok- blast door opening." Spike said.

"Thanks Spike." Sam replied.

"Ok team, listen up," came Greg's voice, "This has gone on way too long. We've been here for twenty minutes and we got nothing. No pressure though, just keep on what you're doing, and we're going to be having a drink at the Goose in an hour's time."

"That including the time it would take to debrief?" Jules asked.

"Stop being a buzzkill Julianna." Greg said, followed by laughter, "In all seriousness guys- be safe."

I was at the next flight of stairs. Before I went down, I looked through the clear paned glass, which looked down into the lower North Wing.

Then I saw him.

"Jules, Sam," I said over the headset, "I see him. At the bottom of the stairs opposite office A1116, and beside a nursing classroom. He's reloading. He's got a Glock, and a copy of a full auto Skorpion."

"What's our approach?" Sam asked.

"None, while your in blue. You'd have to go out exposed, and he looks ready."

"Perra-" Greg asked, "You got the solution?"

I laid down on my chest, and looked through the powerful scope, and lined up the crosshairs to my target. After acquiring my target, I racked back the bolt, and returned it to its home position.

"I got the solution."

"Hold fire-" came Jules, "We're still blue behind the adjacent corner. What else do I need to know boss before I start talking him down?"

"I don't have much to go on Jules. He may believe that he's protecting the school or something within the school. Call to his duty."

"My name is Julianna Callihan, and I'm with the Strategic Response Unit- you mind telling me why I'm here?"

I could hear everything clearly. He ducked his head down when he heard Jules' voice. My crosshairs followed him.

"You can't help me!" he yelled, "No one can!"

"You want to tell me what you're here to do?"

"She's sick..." he muttered.

"Perra" came Jules' voice, "What did he say?"

"He said 'she's sick'" came my response.

"Who is sick?" Jules answered, "We can help you."

"Jules-" Greg interjected, "It seems like this was his last resort. Whatever- whoever is sick, he doesn't think anybody can help him- ask him what he's looking for, and tell him we can help him find it."

"Right," Jules agreed, "I should've thought of that."

"Sir- what is it that your looking for?" Jules yelled out.

"Its an experimental medicine that could help her breathe, she's on oxygen all the time."

Suddenly- my arm muscle twitched and I lost my target in my scope.

"Hey!" came the subject's voice, "Get your sniper away!"

I saw him bring up the automatic weapon, as he squeezed the trigger.

Luckily, I was quicker, and managed to roll over to one side, taking cover behind the wall.

"Perra- status!" Greg yelled over the headset.

"No harm." I replied.

"He took off!" came Sam's reply, "In pursuit!"

"Perra- get to those windows I was telling you about!" came Spike.

I scrambled down the hallway, and found an office door open. I peered in, and found the window inside to be over five feet wide.

"Found it." I replied, as I took out the binoculars and scanned the lower north wing windows.

"I found him!" I exclaimed over the headset, "Jules, Sam, approach with caution, he's cornered with no where to run."

Through the binoculars I saw Sam and Jules approach him again, with ballistic shields in hand."

Again, I brought up the rifle and found my target again.

"I got the solution." I informed over the headset, " I'll need to double tap for glass."

"Copy that Sierra One," came Greg's voice, "Wait for your Scorpio."

"Roger that."

This time I could see Jules engaging the subject again in negotiations, but I couldn't hear the subject or Jules, as she had to put her headset into ambient mode, meaning her headset would record the ambient sounds, including what the subject says. The downside of that mode is that no one else, but the people in the command truck can hear the conversation.

I watched my target. He dropped the handgun to the ground. _Had Jules talked him down? _

Obviously not. Neither Sam nor Jules was approaching the subject.

Suddenly, I saw the full auto gun go up, pointed directly at Sam's ballistic shield.

Ballistic it may be, but it would definitely not stop an eight hundred round a minute firearm.

"Scorpio." came my instruction.

And without a glimpse of hesitation, I took the shots required.

I ended the subject's life.

I lowered the rifle, and saw Jules look up at me through the windows. Sam approached the fallen subject, and tried to get a reading on a pulse.

"Subject down. Threat neutralized." Sam concluded, summing up the information that I already knew.

Then Sam looked up at me. Over the headset radio, came Greg's voice.

"Perra. Stay where you are. The Inspector will be up shortly. You're going to be sequestered until a hearing with the Police Disciplinary Board Inspector and Sargent. Your lawyer will be present. I'll be calling her soon."

I nodded, even though I knew Greg couldn't see me, as I sat down on the stone floor, with my back against the fall, facing the door, awaiting my judgement.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Back at the station...<strong>_

I felt like lashing out, but I had to contain myself.

"You ok?" Greg asked me.

I nodded 'yes'.

"Still sequestered?"

Again, nodded 'yes'.

"We'll have to talk to your lawyer about that."

I heard soft footsteps from behind me.

"And there she is." Greg said, "Perra, this is your lawyer, Miss Emily Makinson. Graduated Harvard last year, specializing in the Police Services Act and the Criminal Code of Canada. Just started with the force a month ago, you are her first client."

She shook my hand. "Glad to meet you, Mr...Perra? No- Perrasmith, is it?"

I nodded.

"He's sequestered." Greg told Emily, "Can he still go through an SIU inspection?"

"I'm afraid not," she explained, "See, the debriefing system used by the SBS, or the Squad Briefing System..."

"I'm aware." Greg said, as he brought up a hand to stop her, "Just get the internal inspection done soon, so we can get on with the SIU inspection."

"Sure." she said, "Follow me."

I followed the lawyer down into the basement, and into a dimly lit room where two men where sitting opposite two empty chairs.

I took one spot, while she took the other.

"Your sequester is null while in this meeting, and depending on their ruling, the sequester will either be terminated or extended following- ok?" she whispered to me.

Without skipping a beat, the two men stood up.

"Ok, lets get this started with," one of them said, as he glanced at his clipboard, as the other removed a series of black bags, "My wife currently has dinner on the table, and I am hungry, although my in-laws are in town, so they're probably there too."

"Ok." I replied, answering my lawyer's question and accepting the man's rambling rant.

"Vest."

I removed my vest.

"You can keep your phone." he said, as he poked the my cell in its cradle on my vest.

So I removed the phone.

"Shirt, pants, belt, boots, and badge."

I surrendered my equipment to the other man, who bagged it all, as if it was evidence.

_Is it evidence?_

"Sit." he instructed.

So I sat.

"According to the transcript, your Sargent called Scorpio, correct?"

"Yes."

"Why did he call Scorpio?"

"He called Scorpio because the safety of his officers in which he is in command of was in direct peril, therefore calling into question the Priority of Life in this application."

The men seemed impressed.

"This isn't your first time, is it?"

"Excuse me," came Emily's soft voice, "Lets stick to the case and the file at hand. If I may question the Police Disciplinary Board's agents- may you define the terms of the Priority of Life?"

"Quite simple actually: Hostage before subject, subject before officer."

"And has the board completed the questioning of my client so I may question in turn?"

"Yes."

"Mr. Perrasmith, " Emily asked, as she turned to face me, "In this situation, in the definition of the Priority of Life, were there hostages at risk?"

"No" I replied.

"Officers?"

"Yes."

"Who, exactly?"

"Constable Sam Braddock."

"Did you witness this yourself?"

"From a distance, yes."

"And it was at the point that your superior..." she started, as she sifted through her file, " Gregory Parker gave the order, Scorpio, is it?"

"Yes."

She turned to face the men. "And does the Police Disciplinary Board understand the term Scorpio in respects to the Strategic Response Unit and the role in plays within the squadron?"

"Yes." came the reply of the Board's Sargent.

"Then we're done here, no?" she asked.

"Yes."

"And the ruling, regarding the sequestering of my client?"

"Sequester dismissed."

_Thank god. Now only the SUI inspection._

* * *

><p>The SUI inspection wasn't as bad as I had thought it was going to be. In actuality, it was just to confirm the roles in which everyone played in the case, and a quick review over the transcript.<p>

After the inspection, I followed the still suited Spike and Sam to the locker room. Sam apologized to the both of us, because he wasn't going to the Goose tonight, as he had to go deal with his younger sister. Something about 'it was time for her to leave his apartment' or something like that.

"Decent?" came a woman's voice into the locker room.

I was dressed already, having had found a shirt and jeans outside the room where the Police Disciplinary Board had questioned me.

"Yeah." Spike called out, as he pulled over a knitted sweater.

"Please tell me your not wearing that in public?" I asked.

"My mom made it."

"Your mom made it?" I echoed, flabbergasted.

"Yeah, don't ask." Jules said, as she came forward, and sat on the bench, "He has an unhealthy attachment to his mother."

The three of us laughed, as Keira came into the light.

"Oh, guys," Jules said, as Greg came in and started changing, "Do you mind if Keira tags along?"

"No." came Spike's reply.

"Not at all." came mine.

"The more the merrier." Greg said, with his signature smile.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Long winded much? Yes it is! But I figure you guys deserve it, as I've been neglecting this fanfic sort of. And to answer a few questions: No- I'm not trying to shoehorn in Keira, I just wanted to introduce everyone from the station. As well, even though I did attend Centennial College during my college days, I don't remember much about the layout at Progress Campus much, so I just sort of envisioned a new layout in my mind.**


	7. Love Brew

**A/N: Thanks all for your continued support. This chapter is quite the departure from the typical Flashpoint repertoire. You'll see why.**

* * *

><p>Again, I found myself laying in bed. Only this time it was quite different from a typical day.<p>

Diminishing rays of sunlight filtered through the dark blinds

The house was empty. Even Haley and Matthew were gone. The only sounds are of the humming of the dryer in the basement, and the deadened sound of cars going down the suburban street.

_If only I could stay here forever, I would. Forever peaceful._

A quick glance at the alarm clock told me 1:57pm.

Time to get up and get ready.

Time to go preserve the peace.

* * *

><p>I pulled into SRU headquarters, and made my way inside as quick as possible, as the cold March air still carried the blistering arctic breezes of winter.<p>

Once inside, I stomped off my boots and walked towards the men's locker-room, when I was intercepted by Kiera.

"Hey Kiera." I said with a smile, hoping she would get out of my way.

"Mail was delivered."

"Yes I know. The mail is delivered here around 1300 hours every day of the week, Monday to Friday." I responded with sarcasm.

"You have mail."

Flummoxed, she passed me the mail that came for me. It was a small envelope. I didn't get a chance to inspect, as Kiera was walking away when she said, "I had a fun time with you guys on Friday. We should do it again sometime. Friday at Casa Blanca's?"

Not paying attention to what Kiera said, I just gave her an automatic "Sure.", as I inspected the envelope and went into the locker room.

Ed was already here, dressed and sitting down on the bench, reading a daily newspaper.

"Damn Leaf's lost again!" Ed said aloud.

"Yeah?" I responded, as I opened my locker, and put the envelope on the door with a magnet beside a family picture of Haley, Megan, and Matthew.

"What's that?" Ed asked, concerning the envelope.

"Ah, its just mail. I'll read it later," I said with a smirk, "So, you missed a big day on Friday, eh? You hear?"

"All I heard was what was on the news- local college into lockdown, SRU on scene. That's it. Why?"

"Oh its a story you have to hear from everyone, but I'll give you the Reader's Digest version: lockdown, automatic weapons, scorpio, SUI inspection."

"Sounds interesting." Ed said with interest.

The door burst open, with Spike gleefully entering the locker room. "You'll never guess what we get to do today!"

"Please tell me not another inspection?" I asked.

"What?" Spike asked, "Oh, no- not that."

"CQB testing Team four?" Ed asked with a grin, "I've been wanting to best Donna since we did our re-qualification."

"No."

"Ok Spike," I said, "This started out fun, but its getting lame. Just tell us."

"We have an escort job!"

"Oh joy." Ed said, his happiness slowly fading away.

* * *

><p>We all sat in the debriefing room. Parker just went through our escort job details.<p>

"Seriously?" Asked Spike, "THAT'S what we're escorting? Nuclear waste?"

"What did you think it was going to be, Spike?" Jules asked.

"I dunno, something interesting. The Prime Minister, Governor General...a super computer."

"Well, a super computer its not." Greg said, "Now, we got some health unit nurses here. They're gonna have to take a vial of blood before and after the job, and test it, to make sure we haven't been exposed to too much radiation. They'll be taking the blood downstairs in Conference Room 2. Perra, your up first- head on down."

I got up and left, without comment.

_Its bad enough I had to see Conference Room 2 on Friday, but again today? Sheesh. _

I entered the room.

I was surprised to see Kiera here.

"Hey you." I commented, as I sat down, and exposing my left arm, as the nurses prepped both a vial and the surface of my skin.

"Kristopher Allison Perrasmith." Kiera said, looking at the one nurse. "Try fitting all of that onto a label."

"I'll do my best." the male nurse said.

"What are you doing here?" I asked Kiera.

"They want someone from SRU to oversee the blood draws. I volunteered."

"You just wanted to see my naked arm, didn't you?" I joked.

Kiera grinned and with a wink said, "You bet."

* * *

><p>After the blood draws, the entire team suited up and drove out to Oshawa, where we would meet the nuclear convoy.<p>

Whenever we got there, we were amazed at the already beefy security they had.

RCMP, Ontario Provincial Police, Canadian Forces, a nuclear defense team from a nearby nuclear power station, and heck, even some members from Canada's elite- Joint Task Force 2.

"Why again do they need us?" Jules asked, after checking her equipment.

"Its a stipulation from the City of Toronto, that if they wanted to transport it through the city, that SRU must assist." Greg explained, "We're to meet with an...Agent Black...something makes me think that's not his real name."

"It sure isn't" came a voice from behind us.

We all spun to see a massively muscled African-Canadian.

"Agent Black?" Greg asked.

"Yes sir, and you are Sargent Greg Parker, correct?"

"In flesh and with my team."

Agent Black looked at all of us, as if he was looking for a tell. "I was told that there would be six of you- there's only five."

"Our Constable Sam Braddock has some family matters to attend to." Greg stated, "Look, we're here to help, and to assist in anyway possible. Point us where you want us, and we'll do our duty."

"Ok-" Agent Black started, "When we started out, we had some military guys in the second transport trailer. They had to leave back before Smith Falls. I need two guys in there. Could also use two of your trucks- one out front, and the other in the back. We have another transport- we can trailer your third truck on that one until Niagara Falls. No need to have more than one person in the vehicles. Also- your girl.."

"Call her Jules." I interrupted. Jules beamed a smile my way.

"Jules- can ride with the another woman on the convoy company in the cab of the second transport. She's been bitchin' since Brunswick about being the only woman on the convoy."

"Alright-" Greg said with a nod, "Spike, Perra, your in transport two. Jules, its obvious where you're going to be. Me and Eddie will flip for you gets to ride in the front."

"Copy that." I responded with, following in tow of Spike, towards the second transport trailer.

* * *

><p>Me and Spike climbed into the trailer of the second transport. Behind us- one of the Canadian Forces officers locked us in. Inside, we found another small, locked marine container. On opposite sides of the trailer, near the doors were two steel chairs, welded onto the floor. On the floor, were two harnesses, with a long cord attached to either wall.<p>

"I suppose we're supposed to wear these?" Spike said, "We could've had a bit more instruction, no?"

"I agree." I replied, strapping on my harness.

After strapping myself in, I rechecked my equipment. _Everything's ok._

Suddenly a loud knock came at the door.

"We're taking off in five!" came a muffled voice.

We each took our respective seats, and waited for the tractor trailer to roar to life.

* * *

><p>Judging on my estimation- based on how fast we were going, I figured we were just passing the turnoff at Markham in Scarborough. Since we had left, neither Spike nor I had said a word...<p>

"So..." Spike spoke, having to speak louder than normal, in order to be heard over the road noise.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing. There's nothing to you. What makes you want to get out of bed every morning?"

"What do you mean?"

"What made you want to be a cop?"

I rubbed my scruffy face. "Well, most people would tell you that they became a cop because they want to help people, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I became a cop because I wanted more out of my job- and there was nothing more I could get out of it. So I just upped and ante and continued on."

"So, you're here to challenge yourself?"

"In a way, yeah. I'm always trying to learn new things."

"You know how to dismantle bombs?" Spike asked with a grin.

"To a degree."

"I'll teach you."

"Thanks." I said with a smile.

"Team one- status." came Greg over the headset.

"Still alive." said Jules.

"Watching the ass end of transport two." came Ed.

Me and Spike laughed silently, and radioed in together, "No harm."

Still wearing his smile, Spike pulled his cellphone from his vest, and started punching in some keys.

"Why does your daughter keep texting me?" Spike asked.

"She's texting you?"

"Since I gave her my number the day of Ed's party."

"What are you guys texting about?" I asked, with concern.

"Not much. Every few days, I get a text asking me questions about technology."

"Like what?"

"Like, 'what anti-virus is best for me?', 'Yahoo or Gmail?'- stuff like that."

"Oh", I thought out loud, "I dunno."

"So what's going on with you and Keira?" Spike asked.

"What?"

"I heard you guys when you came in this afternoon. She was flirting with you, and then you agreed to go on a date with her."

"A date?" I asked, "Where'd you get that?"

" 'Friday at Casa Blanca's ' ?" Spike answered, "Dude, it was a date."

"She was making arrangements for the entire team!" I mockingly yelled.

"Alright." Spike said with a sly grin, "So you wouldn't do that?"

I thought about it...her blonde hair, perfect body, and she always smelled pretty...

"Dude!" I said, snapping out of my day dream- "Why would you do that?" I asked, blaming Spike for putting the thoughts in my head. "Plus I'm married!"

* * *

><p>It was a very uneventful day, after we arrived in Niagara Falls, where we would leave the convoy.<p>

After driving back, and arriving at the station, the health unit nurses were again in the conference room, taking our after-call blood.

I was last to go in, and when I went in, Keira was again there.

"You just love this place, don't you?" I asked.

"You can say that."

_A slight pinch._

I took a deep breath.

"You're not going to pass out?" asked one of the nurses, as he put on a bandage, and packed up his stuff.

I looked down at the white gauze and noted that it was filled with blood.

"I'm still bleeding." I explained.

"It's just residual." the other nurse explained, as they started to leave, and turned to Keira, "Do you mind staying with him, just for a while, until he starts to clot?"

"Sure."

After the nurses left, Keira stepped closer and nodded in the direction of the gauze. "Still bleeding?" she asked.

"Yeah."

I looked up at Keira, as she pulled up a chair beside me.

"Look, Keira," I started, "That dinner this Friday- that's for the entire team, right? Not just me?"

"Of course. It'd be weird if it was just me and you." she said, edging closer, with an arm draped over my chest, "Still bleeding. I hope you weren't part of some nuclear accident, were you?"

"No." I said, with a laugh.

She brought up her hand, and rubbed my face with it. She brought herself closer to me.

Feeling light headed, I instinctly brought my hand up as it graced her side. She quickly kicked her chair to the ground, as she swung over and sat on my lap.

She kissed my neck. Then my cheek.

She went to suck on my neck, but instead I moved my lips to face hers, and planted them firmly on hers.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: As you can tell, now there's an emotional/ love story aspect now. Like to see where it goes? Read and Review!**


	8. Misplaced Love

**A/N: Quite the cliffhanger from the last one, eh? Its what I do. Now that I have all my characters developed and introduced, I can start playing with them. Read and Review!**

* * *

><p>The red and white lights pierced the dark night sky. As the truck ran the red light, he honked the air horn several times.<p>

One of the driver's comrades in the rear seat looked back behind them from the window. He was almost certain that the driver of the Honda behind them had an accident in his pants...

But that isn't what he should be thinking of. Four vehicle pileup on the DVP, or Don Valley Parkway. With four vehicles- that introduced a lot of gasoline, and a lot of potential sparks from severed wiring and broken battery casings. They didn't get a lot of detail from the 911 dispatcher- all they knew was that the collision involved an Ontario Provincial Police, or OPP unit vehicle.

In this call- the firefighters, for once would save the day.

* * *

><p>We were on night shift, and we had finished doing our workout. After our workout, me and Ed were getting ready a cart of guns and ammo that we were going to take down to the shooting range in sub basement two.<p>

"Not so fast." Greg said, as he poked his head into the weapons cage, as he motioned at me, "Mind if we have a talk?"

"No problem." I said, "Ed- meet you down at the range?"

"And leave me with the heavy lifting?" Ed joked, as me and Greg went into the hall, and started walking together.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Some people would call it paranoid, but we have cameras all over this place- you know that, right?"

"Yeah. What's this about?" I asked, as we came to a stop in front of Greg's personal office.

"Why don't we go in?" Greg asked.

Having no reservations, I followed Greg in.

"Have a seat." he said, as he motioned to a chair beside Keira.

_Beside Keira? What the hell?_

"So," Greg said, "Do the two of you know why you're here?"

I answered 'no', at the same time that Keira answered, 'yes.'

"Maybe this will clear things up." Greg stated, turning his computer monitor, and pressed a button.

On the monitor, was a black and white video of Conference Room Two. Inside was me and Keira..._what the hell?_

"When did that happen?" I asked.

"You have no recollection of this?" Greg asked, "Are you ill?"

"No sir, I'm not." I replied, with honesty, "Honestly sir- I'm at a loss here."

We both looked over to Keira, who squirmed in her seat.

"Keira?" Greg asked, "Do you have anything to add?"

She looked at me then at Greg.

"In his defence Sargent Parker, he was probably light headed, dizzy and disorientated...he most likely didn't know what he was doing." Keira explained in a small voice.

"Perra-" Greg said, "Your a good guy and an excellent team member. I don't want you to see you throw away your career. You understand?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. You were clearly taken advantage of in the situation. Keira- you're at fault here. Anything else to say?"

She shook her head, as tears rolled down her fair skin.

"Kiera-" Greg said in a comforting voice, "Your one of the best, but this is too much. And because...well, because I don't want to taint your career, which may or may not get you fired by the Police Disciplinary Board, which would then make it next to impossible to get another job in policing- I'm going to let you off with a warning- and a promise to me, to not let it happen again- you understand me Keira?"

Again, she nodded, this time with a constant flow of tears down her cheeks, her skin flushed, and her eyes darting away from the glances from me and Parker.

The siren came over the intercom.

"Team one- hot call! Hostage situation at a four vehicle collision on the Don Valley Parkway. Fire and EMS services en route."

Both me and Greg jumped out of our chairs, and left the office, leaving Keira crying in the chair.

* * *

><p>Me and Eddie were packing up our SUV.<p>

"Winnie- what do you know?" the sarge asked over the headset.

"Four vehicle pileup on the DVP, involving an OPP unit. Shots fired at first responders by a white male, early twenties. They believe that he's in possession of the firearms from the OPP unit."

"Copy that. Ed?"

I looked over to Ed, as we were know merging onto the highway.

"We're highly exposed- full shields. Spike, you cover the boss from upwind. Me and Jules- Alpha, cover from downwind, and come up from behind. Spike- we got any overlooking towers?"

"No buildings, but there are some telecommunications towers nearby." came Spike with the intel.

"Sam, your Sierra One, Perra, Sierra Two. Find a position, and overlook. You'll be our feeders- Sierra Two, you'll cover the parabolic for ears, and also be our eyes- do you copy?"

"Yes sir." I said to Ed, as we pulled up to the scene.

I got out, and went to the back of the SUV. I grabbed the bolt action rifle, safety harness, and the bag containing the extra gear I'd need in order to set up the microphone.

After a quick glance down the highway to get my bearings, I scanned my immediate horizon and found my tower.

_The tower is surrounded by a fence. I'll need to find a gate and breach it._

I started looking around for the gate. Couldn't find it..._Damn._

_Climb the fence. Ignore the pain from the barbed wire. Once on the other side, find the ladder and scale the tower to a reasonable height and set up the parabolic._

_Easy peasy._

* * *

><p>I got to my position in the tower. I quickly put on the safety harness and used the industrial lanyard to tie myself to the structure of the tower.<p>

I dropped my second bag down to the catwalk, and started assembling the parabolic microphone, complete with a cabled headphone and another cable to hook it into the radio.

Plug the cable into the radio, and pop on the headphones. I found a squared bar, and clamped down the microphone.

Remove the slung rifle from my back. Check the safety- safety off. Take a military spec 7.62x51mm NATO round from the ammunition sleeve on the buttstock and load it into the opened action. Slide the bolt forward and down- find my target.

"Sierra two has the solution." I said over the radio, "Parabolic in place and functioning. Subject appears to be armed with two 1911 framed handguns- most likely police issue. Three hostages unharmed, and behind a Pontiac sedan- hands on their heads. No police officers in site. More hostages possible in the vehicles- no confirmation- cannot see from this angle. Sierra One?"

"Sierra one in position." Sam said over the radio, "Confirmation of Sierra two's intel. Two officers in plain sight from my angle. One on the pavement. One in semi-crushed unidentifiable sedan. Appears to be stuck. Sierra one has the solution."

"Good job Perra, Sam." came Greg's voice, "Spike- cover me, and push forward. I need to make first contact. Perra- you have the parabolic in the radio?"

"Yes sir." came my reply.

I could hear everything from a mix of the radio and the parabolic...

"This is Sargent Greg Parker, with the Police Strategic Response Unit- is everybody ok?"

"Screw off!" yelled the subject, waving the gun the direction of the hostages, "Come any closer, and I start killing people!"

"Ok, ok. I'm not coming any closer, but I need to know if everyone is OK in there. Is everyone ok?"

"Screw off!" he yelled again, as he waved the gun over the fallen police officer.

"Boss- I think you need to try a different tactic here." came Ed's reply.

From here I could see Greg nod in agreement.

"Sir- you need to understand that there are two police officers in the collision there. You also need to know that with the mix of gas, and electricity-the entire scene could blow at any second."

"I don't care! Nobody cares. Screw this entire goddamn place!"

Greg tucked in behind the ballistic shields. "Sierras- anymore info?"

"None from here boss." Sam said.

"Same here." came my reply.

"Where getting no where boss. He's pissed, angry at the world, and he's not making any demands. Should we initiate Stockholm?" suggested Jules.

"Its as good a try as ever." Greg thought aloud, "Sir- can you tell me your name?"

"No!"

"What about the names of the hostages you have. I just want to contact their families and tell them they're ok. Is there anyone we could contact for you?"

Silence.

I scanned the scene, and saw the subject breaking down. He's starting to cry.

"He's crying boss..." I said, "Wait, he's talking to a female hostage."

"They can help you. They helped my sister when she wanted to kill herself...because of them, I have someone too." she said to the subject.

"Stockholm initiated boss. Good work." commented Sam.

"They can't help me!" the male screamed at the hostage, "These two low lifes took her away!"

Suddenly a double beep came over the headset, followed by a soft voice, as if recovering from losing their voice, "Boss," came Keira's voice, "I went through the traffic cameras. Based on the vehicle descriptions from the first responders, I may have found the vehicle your subject was driving- license number Bravo Tango Alpha Tango, Four Eight Niner- registered to a David Brown."

"Keira..." came Greg's condescending voice, "You remember the conversation we had before I left?"

"Yes- what is it?"

"Nothing. Thank you."

Greg turned to face the subject again, "David, I want to help you, and I want to help the people in the crash, but I can't do any of that unless you co-operate. You understand?"

"A female hostage- blonde hair, slim build is beginning to console the subject boss." I relayed the info.

"I understand that one of the women you are holding hostage David, is helping you. You mind telling me her name..."

"My name's Amber." she said, as it was picked up by the parabolic.

"Thank you for helping us Amber." Greg said, "Can you tell us how the two police officers are doing?"

"One is stuck in the cruiser, the other was ejected from the drivers seat and is unconscious."

"Thank you, Amber. What about the other hostages, are they ok?"

"Yes, they're ok."

Suddenly the subject stood up and started waving the guns around again.

"Shut up, bitch!" he screamed, as he kicked her violently in the chest.

"Hostage Amber has been kicked in the chest by the subject." Sam observed.

"Subject becoming violent." I added, "Boss- how long we gonna let it go on?"

Ed's voice crackled over the radio- "Greg, Alpha team can take down the subjects and contain the hostages, he still doesn't know we're here- but I'm going to need to take one of the Sierras."

"No Ed, they're relaying valuable information. Without them we'd still be trying to make first contact."

"I know Greg, but we can't just sit here and let them sit by a fire hazard." Ed snapped back.

"And the fact that a fire fighter was just yelling at Ed for the past five minutes about needing to attend to the scene." added Jules.

"Ok- Perra, your the closest to Ed." Greg said with exasperation, "Stay blue, and meet up with Ed. Transfer the parabolic signal to channel 3."

Listening to my commands, I engaged the safety on the rifle, and slung it over my back. With one quick move to my belt, I removed the radio, and switched it to channel three. Leaving the parabolic gear there, I descended the ladder.

_Jump the fence. Use the trees as cover, make my way to Ed and join up._

* * *

><p>I came into sight of Jules and Ed. I handed the rifle to Jules, who casually threw it into the back of the nearest truck.<p>

"Less lethal?" I asked Ed.

Ed gave me a nod.

I drew my handgun, and removed the hot cartridge magazine, and dumped it into my drop pouch. From my mag holster on my load bearing vest, I selected a pistol magazine that had a piece of blue tape on it, and slammed it into the handgun.

"Ok- three prongs- Perra, you take the front centre- subdue and detain the subject, me and Jules, we'll wrap around and secure the hostages. On three we sprint..."

I nodded, and in anticipation, lowered my upper body to the ground, and bent my legs, much like a track runner would.

"One...two...three!"

Right after the fifth vowel left Ed's mouth I sprinted forward in the centre. It took me less than 10 seconds to run the 15 meters. I brought the handgun up and lined up the iron sights onto the subject.

"Police! SRU!" I yelled with unending ferocity, "Drop your weapon!"

I saw his one handgun come up to aim at me, and with seconds before him, I let out two rubber bullets into his abdomen.

_But I heard three shots fire_...

I looked over to Ed and Jules.

Ed came up behind the subject, and used some deft hand to hand techniques to the subject, to disarm him, as he had held onto the two pistols as if it was his lifeline.

I felt myself falling. I wasn't expecting it, so my face fell face first into the icy pavement.

Once on the ground, I snapped back to my senses, as I felt a burning sensation and wet fluid on my left shoulder.

I rolled over and applied pressure with my right hand. It was no good. I could feel my surroundings fade away to darkness.

And just before I passed out, I looked up to Jules, who was crouching over me.

I heard her yell something, but I couldn't make it out.

She stooped closer to me and softly whispered, "It'll be ok."

* * *

><p>Haley woke up early. She had a hard time sleeping without her husband beside her.<p>

She entered the dark kitchen, and glanced at the clock. 6:03am. _I can catch the morning news._

She walked over to the fridge and turned on the small television perched atop it.

The volume was already low. _Kris must've watched the 10pm news before going to work._

She turned around and started making the coffee, as she listened to the news.

"...say economists. Back to you, Gary."

"Thanks Jo-anne. Back to local news, reports are starting to come in of a four vehicle pile-up on the Don Valley Parkway..."

_Probably people not driving for the conditions._

"Toronto's finest, the Strategic Response Unit was on scene. No persons in the collision were seriously injured, and the subject is in custody, appearing in court tomorrow morning on the charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, reckless driving, and causing bodily harm with intent, and causing bodily harm to a peace officer. During the altercation, one Strategic Response Officer was shot, and was airlifted to St. Patrick's Hospital."

She turned around quickly to catch the last bit of the video that they were showing. It was a simple pan over a wrecked car, and zooming out to see a Strategic Response Unit truck.

The woman began to weep. _Why am I crying? It wasn't him. It can't be. He's one of the best- how else could he have been selected to be a part of Canada's top tactical unit?_

She heard footsteps coming down the hall. She quickly wiped her cheeks, and continued making the coffee.

"Why are you up so early?" Haley asked Megan, stifling back some tears.

Megan looked at her mother, as she stretched and poked some buttons on her cell phone, as she had just received a text.

Megan read the text, and looked up at her mom, who's eyes were red, and a few tears could be spotted on her nose.

"I guess you heard, right?" Megan asked.

"About what?"

"The shooting on the DVP."

"Its ok," Haley said with a smile, "Your father is one of the best."

Confused, Megan looked back at her phone. _No, _she thought, _That's what it says..._

"Mom...dad got shot."

* * *

><p>I woke up in the hospital. On my shoulder, there was a large patch of gauze, which was oozing red.<p>

_The pain...holy crap, the pain._

I looked down to my hand, and I was gripping the side of the bed so hard my knuckles were turning white.

I released my hand, as the frosted glass door opened, and a nurse, wearing light pink scrubs and carrying a brushed stainless clipboard in hand.

"Mr. Perrasmith, I'm glad your awake." she said, "My name's Monica. I need to ask you a few questions."

"What time is it?" I asked.

"The time doesn't matter, at least in your situation. Your emergency contact...a Mrs. Theresa Perrasmith, we called her, and she didn't know who you were. Is there anyone else we should call?"

"Its my mother...you should call my wife."

"Can you write down her number for me?"

She peeled off a sticky note and put it on the table, and placed a pen on it, and swung the table over to me.

"Are you allergic to anaesthetic?"

"No."

"Have you taken any drugs and/or medications in the last twenty hour hours?"

"No."

I looked up at the woman, my patience for her wearing thin. "Anything else?"

"Do you have any objections to some visitors?"

"No."

The nurse left, and just before the door closed, Jules, Spike and Greg entered.

"What, I don't get the whole scooby gang?" I replied with a smirk.

"You're in good spirits for a guy who just got shot." Jules said, as she pulled up a chair.

Greg looked over to Spike, who was fiddling around with his phone.

"Spike- how many times do I have to tell you- technology goes off in hospitals." Greg said, "How you doing bud?" he asked me.

"Don't worry boss, just sending Megan a text."

"Who's Megan?" Greg asked, as he took a seat opposite Jules.

"My daughter." I answered.

Two male nurses came in.

"Ok Mr. Perrasmith, an OR room just opened up. You're scheduled for surgery to fix your severed tendons, remove the bullet, and stitch it up."

I nodded to the team as they carted me out of the room.

Outside in the hall, we went by Ed, who was stern faced, as he talked to an administrative nurse.

* * *

><p>Jules, Spike and Greg followed Perra out the door, as they watched him being carted down past a<p>

'No Admittance' sign.

Greg looked stern faced, as he looked down the hallway, bustling with people, hopelessly.

"I'm glad we got that sorted out." Greg said, as he looked over to Ed, who was sitting down-tapping his foot nervously, "Ed- its not your fault."

"I never said it was" Ed snapped back.

"Eddie...c'mon," Greg started, knowing what to do, to push Ed off the edge.

"I shoulda done it, Greg." Ed butted in, "It was my choice, and I put him to the primary prong in a three-prong setup."

Greg sat down beside Ed, "Its not your fault he got shot. Most likely anyone in that position would've been shot...if it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I should have tried to talk down the subject more- take the Stockholm deeper."

Ed shook his head, as he furrowed his brow- hoping that his team-mate, no, his friend, is going to be ok, not blame him.

* * *

><p>Jules stepped outside the hospital and grabbed her personal phone, and pressed in a speed dail number.<p>

"Hey, Sam?" she asked.

"Yeah?" came his reply.

"Everyone is kinda shook up because of this, and I just need someone to talk to."

"I'll be at your place in five." came Sam's quick response.

Jules gave a weak smile, as her current thoughts were on their new team-mate in an operating room, breathing in air smelling of sleep and disinfectant.

* * *

><p>Spike didn't really know what to do with himself. Should he stay? Should he go? He saw Jules leaving...<em>Probably to 'hang out' with Sam. They've been doing a lot of that lately. <em>

Parker and Ed were talking in the hallway adjacent, and Spike could overhear parts of the conversation...Ed felt responsible...Greg telling him it 'it's not your fault'...Greg's going to the cafeteria? Ed talking about calling his wife, telling her that he'd be staying at the hospital...

_Should I stay or go? Jules left. Sam isn't here. Greg's going to take his mind of off it by downing a cup of joe and a muffin..._

"Spike!"

Spike jumped, not expecting a petite brunette to be running at him, followed by Perra's gorgeous wife..._God, she could be a Maxim model..._

"Hey Megan." Spike said, as he started tapping his foot, "Haley, right?"

The blonde gave him a weak smile, "Yes." she responded.

Spike's robocop-like intuition went into hyper drive. _She's been crying. Very hard. Red streaks from the eyes, and small beads of tears._

He stood up, and gave the woman a hug, wrapping his lean muscular arms around her.

Haley stood there, unknowing of what to do. She wasn't comfortable hugging back, but she did understand the sentiment.

"He just went into surgery." Spike explained, "He lucky, it didn't break any bone. Tore up some ligaments and tendons pretty bad. They're going to do there best to fix it."

* * *

><p>I woke up, back in the hospital room. Probably the same one. This time, he was hooked up to more machines. An IV drip was set up with what appeared to be some sort of painkiller...<p>

"You're up." came a woman's weak voice.

I looked across the room to see Haley leaning against the wall, as if to keep it from falling.

"Yeah, I guess I am."

She came closer and grabbed my left hand. I could feel her purposely rubbing the gold wedding band on my ring finger.

"Your going to need to take physical therapy for the next few months, and your boss says you could probably come back to work next week, under light duties, so long as you can requalify to standards at a preset later time." she explain.

She put my hand down, as she walked away in the other direction and sat down.

My SRU training in emotional profiling kicked in- _she's angry at me._

"Why?" she asked. "Why do you bring unnecessary stress into our home? Why couldn't you have stayed in unit 52? Everything would be much simpler..."

"Hales- we talked about this. You said you could deal with the added emotional stress..."

"Well I obviously can't!" she yelled, with a few tears rolling down her cheeks.

She looked at her watch, and became flustered again, "It's almost noon. The sitter could only watch Matthew for a bit. Did you want to see him?"

"Should he see his father like this?" I asked.

"He's two, Kris, he probably won't remember it," she said, as she grabbed her purse and coat, and opened the door, "When I get back, I hope your ready to love me again."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Crappy ending? Most likely. Read and review- I'd like to hear what you think!**


	9. Return

**A/N: To be clear, there's a bit of time lapse between the previous chapter and this chapter- about a months time. Now why didn't I write a chapter for that month? To be honest, it just doesn't fit into my planned out plot line. But be happy! More action, and more of our favourite Flashpoint characters!**

* * *

><p>"Spike!" Greg yelled down the hall, "Lets go!"<p>

"Boss- no more than..." Spike started.

"I don't care Spike, you have to move!"

"I can do it!" Spike yelled back.

Sadly, the yell was recorded by the headset. _Christ, that was loud..._

"Perra!" Spike exclaimed, over the headset, "North or south of our source?"

In the truck, I brought up the schematics, and quickly scanned them, looking for the wire Spike was asking for, "South of source, most likely covered with dummy wiring- look for the wire that's bridging the resistor- that's your wire."

"Copy that." Spike said, as he used his sleeve to wipe his brow before bending over the timed explosive device.

* * *

><p>I carried Matthew down the hall. I was wearing my SRU uniform, but I was still waiting for the sitter to arrive. I had to use my other arm to support Matthew, as my left shoulder was still tender, even after a month's worth of physical therapy.<p>

I pounded on Megan's door with my other arm. It was only 7:30am, but everyone needs to do their part.

_Haley will be back from the meeting with her client in an hour and a half. Sitter, should get here any minute. Drive Megan to school, because she lost her bus card, and has to wait another week to get her new one; then race into work._

"Megan, you ready?"

Her door opened, and she calmly came out, with her backpack slung over her back, with a 'I wish I could've slept for another 5 hours' look on her face.

"Hello?" came a older woman's voice.

_Finally- the sitter._

I raced down the hall, and greeted her, as she took off her shoes.

"First day back, Mr. Perrasmith?" she asked, as she noted the stark grey uniform.

"I had my re-qualify last week, and I'm ready to go back, so yeah." I said, as I passed a squirming Matthew to her, "Ok..."

"Forgetting something?" she asked, as she rocked Matthew back and forth.

"Yeah..." I said, as I looked into the living room, and didn't see Megan, so I turned down the hall and yelled, "Megan- lets go!"

* * *

><p>We pulled up to Megan's school. The entire drive was quiet, except for when we first got into the car, in which Megan asked, "Can I drive?"<p>

She opened the door, and started to get out.

"Megan..." started.

"What?" she snapped back at me.

"Hey- no need to bite my head off. I'm getting enough of that from your mother as it is. Hope you have a good day at school. Remember- Kevin Wordsworth is going to pick you up and take you to soccer, since I'm working a ten today, ok?"

"Yeah, ok. Anything else?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a tan car from a distance, and a man inside it..._Just focus Kris..._

"Yeah. Be safe- can you manage that?"

"Can you?" she asked.

"Hey-" I explained to her, "Me and your mom are going through a bit of a rough patch, ok? She wasn't too happy when I got shot, and she was less than happy when I passed my re-qualifying tests."

"So why are you going back, if mom's resenting you for it?"

I was suddenly taken back. _I didn't think Megan was picking up on that._

"Whatever." I replied back, "Just remember, if anything happens, and I mean anything, you know who to call, right?"

"Spike?"

"No- me."

_Spike. Jeez. Sure the guy had a sort of geeky appeal to him..._

* * *

><p>I walked into the SRU building with my bag over my uninjured shoulder. Oddly, I didn't see anyone milling around the lobby, like I usually do. I just figured everyone would be in the gym or debriefing room.<p>

I entered the locker room, and I was suddenly taken aback by the amount of people in here.

_What the hell?_

I saw Greg peer out from behind his locker door, when he said something to another guy, which I could only assume was Ed, as I could see the top of a shiny, bald scalp, just above the locker door.

"Well that ruined the entire surprise." Ed said, as he shut his locker.

As if on cue from Ed's words, the rest of the team appeared from random places all over the locker room- Spike and Sam jumped out from behind me from the showers, patting me on the back. Ed and Greg approached and shook my hands.

"Glad you're back." Greg said, as he shook my hand.

Suddenly, two thin arms wrapped around me, as I turned to find Jules giving me a big hug.

"This place was different without you." she said, as she let up.

Everyone was relieved to see me. Even the dispatchers- Winnie, some new guy, Trevor or something like that, and Kiera were there to welcome me back.

"Ok," Greg said, loudly, to get everyone's attention, "Dispatchers- back to your desks, team one, we're hitting the shooting range downstairs in ten."

I walked over to my locker, as almost everyone from the room dissipated. I opened by locker, and started putting away some of the gear from my bag.

"Glad you're back." Ed, said as he sat down on the bench, "Then again, you didn't miss much. Had to be the slowest month we've had in a while."

"Yeah?" I asked, as I donned my black, load bearing equipment vest.

"Oh, before I forget..." Ed said, as he stood and opened his locker.

He rummaged around in his locker for a bit while I put on my drop pouch, and made some adjustments to my belt keepers.

"We responded to a call a week or so ago- 3 year old daughter kidnapped at gunpoint in front of her mother," Ed explained, as he handed me an envelope, "Anyways, long story short, we got the kid back, unharmed of course, because that's how we roll..."

"Of course." I responded back, allowing him to continue.

"Anyways, we started talking about you on scene, and the mother recognized your name."

Ed made a motion, which made me think he wanted me to open the envelope.

I opened it, and out fell a wallet sized picture of a 3-year old baby girl, sleeping and clutching a soft blue blanket.

"It's your god-daughter, right?" Ed asked.

I smiled. "Ella." I said, as I smiled even wider. _I haven't seen her since...well, the baptism._

"You close?" Ed asked, as he shut his locker, and looked at the open door of my locker that I was leaning on.

"Yeah- we're almost family." I said, "Lauren, her mother...her parents died in a car crash when she was eight. She lived with me and my parents until she turned eighteen."

Ed smiled, as he started to leave, "It's nice to see you smile Perra."

"Thanks Ed."

"No problem," he said, as he opened the door and started walking out, "Now maybe you can open your mail you got over a month ago."

I looked over to my locker door, as I saw the magnet holding up the mail that Kiera had delivered to me weeks and weeks ago..._We never did go to Casa Blancas._

I took the envelope out from behind the magnet, and replaced it with the picture of Ella.

_Oh, right. Shooting range._

I walked down the hallway, as I started opening the envelope. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Greg was in the debriefing room.

I finished opening the envelope, and like the other one, a picture fell out.

I wasn't quick enough to grab it, so it fell on the floor. After stooping down to get it, I noticed that it had fallen picture side down, and there was writing on the back of the picture, written with a black felt point marker.

'I'm watching her. I'll take her when you least expect it.'

Confused, I turned over the picture.

I took in the picture, and within seconds, found myself running into the debriefing room.

"Boss."

"Yeah?" Greg asked, as he turned around, "What's up?"

"You need to see this."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So as you can tell- BIG cliffhanger. Who is in the picture? What about the bomb Spike was attending to- is it related? What about Lauren and Ella? Mere coincidence? These questions and more will be answered in the next installment, which will finish off this chapter! Read and review- it'll get me back into the 'New Beginning' mindset, as I'm currently working on other fictions.**


	10. Save Me

**A/N: Sorry for the long period of no updates. Life really caught up to me, and I've been picking up more hours at work, often resulting in over 10 hours of overtime. Cha-ching, right?**

**Anyways, where I left off was a natural stopping point, which I think created a HUGE amount of suspense. That being said, the second part of _A New Beginning_****will be happening at a much faster pace, and it will definitely require reading back to fully understand the sub-text to all OC/Character relationships.**

**As its also been proven, I tend to write very long winded Author Notes, especially so in my new crossover, featuring your favourite Flashpoint characters and the witty humour**

**belonging to the likes of Sheldon, Leonard and the gang over at The Big Bang Theory.**

**Like I said, I talk too much.**

* * *

><p>"What is it?" Greg asked.<p>

I put the picture down on the table, picture side down, to let Parker read it, then flipped it over so he can look at the picture.

He immediately looked at me with concern. "You need to call your family."

"Yeah?" I asked, "What do I say?"

Greg paced down the length of the table then back to me.

"I'll get Spike in here. He should be able to tell us if the picture's legit."

"Then what? Bust down the door to Megan's classroom and say 'Hey come with me, because there's a crazy lunatic who has threatened to kidnap you.' "

BEEP! BEEP!

"Team One, hot call."

Me and Greg ran down to the garage, and the only words exchanged was "We'll get this sorted out, then save your daughter."

* * *

><p>When we got to the call, me and Ed piled out of the SUV and joined Greg, Sam and Jules in the command truck.<p>

"Ed," Greg started, "We need Spike inside on this one. Perra, you're on command duty."

"Roger that." I replied with, as I hung up my weapon and sat down at the chair.

"Bomb call." Greg continued, "Office building, two floors. Call made to 911 saying they planted a bomb to right the wrongs of this company."

I brought up some information on the screen. "Agri-Syn" I informed, "Canada's leader in agricultural produce. Just released two new crop pesticides that is extremely effective, but has shown to have some side-effects on the integrity of the soil afterwards."

"We got a trace on the 911 caller?" Ed asked me.

"Performing the triangulation now."

"So," Greg continued, "On site security has locked all entrances and exits, and has put the building into soft lockdown. All persons in offices are staying there, and security is actively patrolling to find anybody in the hallways."

"Tell Security to fall back," Ed instructed, "Jules, Spike, full building sweep until you find the bomb. Me and Sam will go knock on the door of our 911 caller."

"And your location is 124 Kipling. The home is registered to, get this; unlisted."

"Thanks Perra. Sam, lets move out." Ed said, leaving the truck behind Jules and Spike.

Greg sat down beside me, with this eyes going from the monitors to me several times.

"Something I can help you with?" I asked.

"I didn't put you in here because of what happened, you know that, right?"

"I know. Spike's our resident bomb expert, so he should be going in, not me."

"What do we got, Perra?" Greg asked, changing the subject.

"All cell signals blocked in and out- our frequencies only. Contacting Winnie to see if she can get a ATI on our triangulated signal position. On the right screen, full layouts of the building with our GPS overlay with Jules' and Spike's positions." I replied, as I changed the radio signal selector, "Alpha Team, what's your status?"

"Alpha team en route."

"Bravo team, what's your status?"

"No harm, on building sweep." relayed Jules, "Any more info to go on Perra, or are we still flying blind?"

"Alpha Team is on route to location. Alpha: what's your ETA?"

"Alpha Team on site. Preparing for hard entry on black wall."

"Roger that Alpha, please report in five."

I rolled over to the screen opposite and spoke into the annotation microphone. "Ten forty one AM. Bomb call to 911 dispatcher concerning local business Argi-Syn. SRU Team One on scene. Alpha Team comprised of Ed Lane and Sam Braddock on dynamic entry of triangulated 911 caller signal. Bravo Team- Jules Callihan and Michealangelo 'Spike' Scarlatti on building sweep searching for bomb. Explosives & Ballistics containment unit en route, ETA 120 seconds. Officer Kristopher Perrasmith and Sargent Greg Parker on post in command unit."

"Perra," came Ed's voice over the radio, as I rolled back over to the main screens, "Looks like no one's home, but this is definitely our guy. We got an explosives cache of nitroglycerin, different lengths of wires and other pieces that we could build a bomb with."

"Roger that Ed. We got schematics?"

"That's a negative." Sam responded, "We'll keep searching, but we got a name. Home is registered to a Donna Silversmith."

"Thank you Alpha Team, cross matching and referencing the name Donna Silversmith to all Agri-Syn employees."

"Include terminated employees." piped in Greg, "Could be pre-meditated. I'm calling into the big boss's office, see if they've had threats in the past or if they've just fired any aggressive employees."

"10-4" I replied, "Bravo Team- what's your status?"

"Basement clear." responded Jules, "We have a profile yet?"

"Not yet, boss is working on it."

Again, I slid over to the annotation screen. "Ten forty seven AM. Originating residence of 911 call registered to a Donna Silversmith. Alpha Team investigating residence in search of schematics related to bombs built. Sargent Greg Parker speaking to executives of company enquiring about threats and/or terminated employees. Name, Donna Silversmith being cross matched to all company databases. Team Bravo still performing building sweep."

"This is Bravo team to command," Jules signalled over the radio, "Basement is clear. Heading to first floor."

"Roger that Bravo. Check in at five." I responded, as I marked off the basement cleared on the on-screen building schematics. "Alpha Team- any news?"

"Not yet Perra." Ed replied, "We got a very disorganized subject. Could have possibly have had an accomplice."

"Roger that Alpha."

I turned to the radio unit, as I switched to a APB channel, "This is SRU Team One Officer Kristopher Perrasmith requiring immediate assistance from all available units in search of a 10-62, in relation to a 10-100. Subject is known to be residing at the address of 124 Kipling Avenue, and could possibly be in the area."

After sending out the APB, I switched the radio signal connected to SRU dispatch.

"Winnie, please cancel the ATI on 124 Kipling, and start searching for friends and family of a Donna Silversmith. Pull ATI if you must."

"10-4 SRU Team One." Winnie responded, "Cancelling ATI 124 Kipling and commencing search of records on Donna Silversmith."

"Check in at five please."

"Roger that."

Greg hung up the phone.

"Ok- get this. The team that developed the new products was fired two months ago."

"Reason?"

"They refused to answer, but to me, that's reason enough to hate your employer and go over the edge and plant a bomb at your old place of work."

"True." I responded, "But I got no hits to a Donna Silversmith in the Agri-Syn database of employees, including terminated ones."

"Maybe a friend or family member previously worked with Agri-Syn." Greg suggested.

"Its worth a shot. Lets hope Winnie can find us something."

Suddenly the radio crackled to life.

"SRU Dispatch to SRU Team One."

"10-4 SRU Dispatch, please proceed."

"Nothing yet on Silversmith, so I'm pulling an ATI on the information, but I did find a vehicle registered in her name- Red Ford Focus, license Juliet Tango Foxtrot Three."

"SRU Dispatch, please 10-9 your last 4."

"Juliet Tango Foxtrot Three."

As Winnie spelled out the license plate again, I wrote it down and handed it over to Parker.

"10-4 SRU Dispatch, please keep us posted."

Greg looked over to me. "You sure that's her plate?"

"Yeah. That's what Winnie found. When was the last time Winnie misinformed?"

"Never."

"Do you want me to put out an APB?"

"There has to be a military connection." Greg suggested again, as he engaged his radio, "Sam?"

"Yeah, boss?" Sam asked over the radio.

"You still got military contacts?"

"Yes sir."

"Contact them. See if they know anything about a Donna Silversmith. Might be involved in Special Forces, namely Joint Task Force."

"Roger that."

Greg looked back over to me.

"Never a dull moment, eh?"

* * *

><p>"This is SRU Officer Kristopher Perrasmith to all available officers. Looking for a vehicle marker Juliet Tango Foxtrot Three, registered to a Donna Silversmith. Could be ex-military, may be armed. All units proceed with caution, and radio SRU Team One if found."<p>

After putting out the APB, or All Police Bulletin, my focus turned back to the annotations.

"Ten fifty seven AM. SRU Dispatcher pulling ATI on suspect Donna Silversmith, and APB on her registered vehicle to all available units. Alpha Team still searching residence of Miss Silversmith and Bravo Team on building sweep of first floor."

"Perra, how's our profile going?" Jules asked.

"So far, it looks like one Donna Silversmith constructed a bomb, and could have possibly given it to a friend or family member that was previously fired from Agri-Syn. Most likely a disgruntled employee retaliation attempt."

"What about the makeup of the bomb?" Spike asked over the radio.

Before I could respond, Ed did: "Spike, I doubt is was wearing mascara."

Me and Greg heard Ed's smartass response and couldn't help but silently laugh.

"Seriously though- timer? Motion sensitive? Manual switching? RF switching?"

"Don't worry about frequencies Spike," I answered, "Ours only- in and out."

"Perra," Greg asked, as I spun around, "Any luck on the name cross-match?"

"Don't have any other name to cross match sir, still waiting on Winnie's info. She's due to check in though."

"It doesn't matter." me and Greg barely heard over the radio from Spike.

"Spike?" Greg asked, "Can you speak up? Jules?"

"SRU Officer Jules Callihan returning to command centre." Jules informed.

I looked up to the GPS overlay on the map, and noted Jules' position returning the way it came.

"She's coming back." Greg thought out loud, "Why's she coming back?"

"I don't know." I responded, as I engaged the radio, "SRU Officer Callihan, what's your 10-9A?"

Jules' crackled over the radio, "Content of 10-100 found. Following orders of bomb technician on scene."

"No more than one man down range." I murmured to myself, as I tagged Spike's location, as it was also the location of the bomb.

* * *

><p>Jules entered the command truck.<p>

"He found the bomb?" I asked.

"Yeah." she responded, as she hung up her MP5, and sat down behind me, facing another set of monitors, "1st floor, outside the 2nd storage room south of white wall."

"Ok..." I thought, as I started losing concentration...

_I hope she's ok, I hope she's ok..._

Suddenly the silence was broken when Jules spoke into the annotation mic, "Officer Julianna Callihan in command truck awaiting further instructions."

"We got a secure perimeter?" I asked Greg.

"Yeah, two officers at every exit. Ready to fall back if required."

"10-4" I responded, as I radioed to Spike, "Spike- what do we got?"

"Its not good. We got a timer. We got motion sensitive switches, and if we got chemicals stored in this storage room, we're looking at a big boom."

"Roger that." I responded.

"Perra," Spike radioed back, "Permission to start bomb analysis."

"Permission granted. Check in at five. Will work on getting those schematics."

I looked over to Jules so was still sitting there awaiting instructions.

She smiled back. "Its a lot of work." she said.

I smiled back, "Yeah it is."

I looked up and noticed Greg wasn't in the truck, so I motioned to Jules a palm over the microphone, which is silent code for 'turn your mic off.'

"What's up?" she asked.

"Its Haley. She wasn't too enthused when I told her I was coming back to work. We've been fighting over the past week about the stupidest things."

"And you don't know what to do?"

I looked up at Jules into her 'pierce-your-soul' eyes, as I nodded.

"You love her, right?"

"I do."

"Than that's all that matters."

"No it isn't." I said, as I took out the threatening picture with the caption, and handed it to Jules.

In the same motion, I spun around back to the screens, and turned on the radio, just in time too, as Greg entered the truck.

Greg saw the picture I handed to Jules.

"You decided to share." he said, as he sat in the middle.

"Yeah, I decided to share."

* * *

><p>"Alpha Team- do we have schematics yet?" I asked.<p>

"Not yet." Ed answered, "but we're getting close."

"How so?"

"We found an unsecured computer. Sam went into the browser history and found some online bomb schematics she must've looked at."

"What about Sam's military contacts?"

Sam responded, "Nothing. If Donna Silversmith is military, she's under the radar."

"10-4." I responded, and turned around to overhear some instructions Greg was giving Jules.

"Find a location for both Megan and Haley Perrasmith. Once found, commission an officer to pick them up and to secure them in SRU base."

"Boss, you don't need to-" I started.

"Hey, Perra. You're doing an excellent job buddy. Keep up your focus, and don't worry- its the least I can do."

I nodded in agreement and turned around, as I radioed into Spike. "How much time we got?"

"Based on my analysis- three minutes."

"What?"

"Yeah." Spike replied, "Three minutes, 180 seconds, whichever way you want it."

Greg radioed Spike, "Spike, you need to get out of there."

"No! I can do this!"

"Spike!" Greg yelled into the radio, as he left the command truck.

"Alpha Team- please expedite." I radioed, "We have minus 180 seconds."

"Found it!" Ed said, "Scanning into the PDA."

Jules looked over to me, "That's going to take forever."

"Not if I use our main server." I said, as I typed extremely fast, as I shut down the entire Wi-fi system local to the truck, so the upload and download time of the PDAs, which use the same Wi-fi would be faster, than if everything else was running and trying to access the system.

"Start your upload Alpha."

"Upload commencing."

Over to my left, Jules had finished what Greg had assigned her to, and was starting to time down our remaining time on her watch. "100 seconds"

"We got schematics yet?" Spike demanded over the radio.

"Not yet Bravo," I responded, as I selected the schematic scans from the upload server and started the download.

"Eighty seconds."

"Boss- you need to fall back." I radioed to Parker.

The download was at fifty percent.

All of a sudden I heard a screaming match on the radio.

"Spike- let's go!"

"Boss- no more than..."

"I don't care Spike, you have to move!"

"Sixty seconds."

Download at ninety five percent.

"I can do it!" Spike yelled into the radio.

_Christ, that was loud._

"Thirty seconds."

Download complete.

"Perra, north or south of our source?" Spike asked.

I opened the scans of the schematics and immediately found the source, or the location of the voltage. From there, I assumed Spike was looking to disable the timer, so he'd be looking for a hot wire going to the timer.

"Fifteen seconds."

"South of source, most likely covered with dummy wiring- look for the wire that's bridging the resistor- that's your wire" I instructed over the radio.

A few seconds passed, and just as Jules was going to announce 'ten seconds' Spike came over the radio.

"Timer neutralized."

Me and Jules breathed a sigh of relief.

"Spike's amazing, isn't he?" I said with a smile.

Suddenly, I felt Jules' hand over my radio, as she disabled my mic.

I looked over to her, as she disabled hers.

"What is-" I started, but didn't get a chance, as she, with lightning speed, and what seemed like a burning desire, kissed me.

* * *

><p>Jules got up from her chair, while still kissing, and planted herself on my lap.<p>

_Why can't I stop myself? _I thought, as I kissed back. _Haley...I'm married. We've been fighting..._

Over at the monitors Jules was attending to, a small beeping sound started.

Jules finally came to stop, and sat back down on her chair, and rolled over to the monitors, leaving me wide mouthed.

Suddenly, I heard heavy set foot steps leading up into the truck, so I turned towards my monitors and spoke into the annotation microphone, "Eleven Oh-Six AM, Bomb Technician Spike Scarlatti disables timer on explosive device."

Behind me, Ed and Sam piled into the truck. "Hey Perra." Ed said, as he sat down beside me.

"Hey. What's up?"

"Donna Silversmith was picked up by an undercover unit. She was packing a prohibited barrel length Glock, and was brought in for possessing a prohibited firearm. When she was questioned about the bomb, she gave up her friend Amy Dams pretty quick."

"Nice." I replied, as I quickly started a name cross-reference, "Spike, you got the motion switches disabled yet?"

"Not yet, working on it Perra- you mind sending those schematics my way?"

"Sure thing." As I sent the schematics to Spike's PDA.

Over from the other side of the truck, I could barely make out a hushed conversation between Jules and Sam.

_Focus Kris, focus._

But I couldn't.

_The kiss. What the hell did that mean? What about Megan? Well, I suppose her and Haley are safe. What about Matthew?_

"Hey Perra," Ed said to me, "Why don't we step out and get some air?" he strongly suggested.

"Yeah. Ok. Sam- you mind keeping status on Spike so he doesn't blow himself up?"

"Sure thing." Sam nodded, as he rolled over to my side on the wheeled chair.

Me and Ed stood and left the truck.

As soon as we got out, I took a huge breath of fresh air. _It really does..._

"What the hell is going on in there?" Ed confronted.

"What do you mean?"

"You were distracted. You had a blank stare on your face, and you were trying to listen in on Sam and Jules' conversation. What's going on?"

"It's nothing."

Ed gave me his stare of steel. "I can tell when I'm being lied to Perra."

"You know that mail that has been in my locker since before I got shot?"

"Yeah."

"It had a picture of Megan in it. Probably taken with a disposable camera, since its all grainy. From a distance too, so she probably didn't know she was being photographed. It had a threat written on the back of it, Ed."

Ed bit his tongue and responded, "Does Greg know about this?"

"I showed him just before we got called out."

"Sorry I bit your head off then." Ed apologized, "You do know about Jules and Sam's history, right?"

"No."

"They've been dating, and hiding it from me and the boss for almost eight months. It's what caused the big Dr. Toft inspection."

"Ok. Didn't know."

Ed suddenly looked around and got a bit closer. "Keep this between you and me?"

"Yea, of course." I said, as I removed my headset, as Ed followed suit.

"I think they're on the outs. While you were out for the past month, Jules has been coming to me on advice. Like, 'I like this one guy, and he's a really good friend. How should I tell him that I like him?' "

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." Ed said, as he put his headset back in, "Its like being in high school all over again."

Out of the corner of my eye, I noted Greg and Spike walking calmly towards the truck.

"All defused?" I asked.

"All defused." Spike said with a huge smile.

Ed smiled wide and followed Spike into the command truck.

Greg approached me. "You have some stuff to deal with. Why don't you take the rest of the day off?"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Go to the station, get changed, go home, be with your family."

Battling the sun in my eyes, I looked up to Greg, "To be honest, I don't know if I want to go home."

"What's going on?"

"Haley wasn't too excited when I told her I was coming back to work."

Greg smiled back. "Don't worry, she'll come around."

Over the headsets, we heard the signature alarm horn.

"Team One, hot call." Winnie came through.

"Winnie, look's like we're going to be a man down. Bump team six up from patrol, and we'll replace them." Greg instructed.

"Ok," Winnie hesitated, "I'll finish the call sheet anyways- assault on a police officer and armed abduction of a teenager at Warden Secondary School. Teenager is...hold on- Megan Perrasmith. Any relationship to our Perrasmith?"

Hearing the call for myself, I looked to Greg.

* * *

><p>"We have to take that call." I insisted, as the rest of the team piled out of the command truck.<p>

"Perra." Spike said, "Megan?"

"We better get going then." Sam suggested as he pointed to the SUVs.

Parker sighed heavily. "Can you stay objective Perra?"

"Yes sir."

"Anything I ask you to do, you'll do it?"

"Yes sir."

"We better get going then," Greg said, as we started for the SUVs, "Time's a wastin'. "

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I love it! I hope you do. Now that I'm back from my haitus, I'm fresh with ideas, and have actually planned out my next 4 chapters! Cheers!**


	11. Fracture

**A/N: This fanfiction is rated T for Teen, under guidelines. **

**The nature and context of the following chapter may be disturbing for some readers.**

**However, it still follows the T rating guidelines, and will continue to do so. But as a concerned author- reader discretion is advised.**

* * *

><p>I piled into the driver's seat of one SUV, with Ed in the passenger's seat. Over the headset I could hear Greg and Winnie having a conversation.<p>

"Winnie- what happened?" Greg asked.

"Police were called when several students on break noticed a vehicle with a man in it. One officer responded, and approached the vehicle. Several witnesses say that the man got out and pulled a small handgun on the officer. The officer tried to go to his sidearm when the man attacked him, then turned to the group of students watching nearby and grabbed Megan Perrasmith, and took off."

"How's our brother in blue?"

"Taken to hospital, condition unknown."

"Keep us updated on his condition, and send a detective there to pick up more details."

"Roger that." came Winnie's response.

We finally arrived on scene at the school.

_I was here less than 4 hours ago..._

We backed all the SUVs close to each other, so we had a contained square space in the middle. I got out of the vehicle and joined the team in the center.

"Ok guys," Greg said, "We don't have much to go on. The responding officer didn't record a license plate of the vehicle, so we can't start there."

"There's cameras," I suggested, "If nothing else, it can help us place the scene, if not get the plate number or even a description of the man."

"Good idea. You and Spike will get to that. Myself and Jules will talk to the witnesses. Sam, Ed- try tapping into the onboard cameras on the responding cruiser, see if it picked anything up."

I looked over to the far driveway out to the street and noticed two sleek, black cars pull in.

"SIU is here." I informed the team, although they had seen the cars pull in.

"Yeah." Greg said, "If they give any of you a hard time, let me know."

"Roger that." I responded, "Spike, lets go."

* * *

><p>We entered the building, and immediately started to search for the principal. It didn't take long, because he approached us.<p>

"I'm Strategic Response Unit Officer Kristopher Perrasmith and this is Officer Spike Scarlatti. We require access to your CCTV system." I asked.

"Right this way." the principal guided us, "Are you related?"

"I'm sorry?"

"You and the student that was taken," he said, as he opened an unlabelled office door, which opened up into the security room, which enclosed the security camera system and the wireless internet modem stack, "You and uh..."

"Megan?" Spike suggested, as he sat down at the desk, and started to type away at the computer.

"Yea! That's it- Megan. Are you two related?"

"She's my daughter." I curtly responded, as I hunched over and looked over the camera array, "Spike, camera E4 North Exit."

"I'll leave you two at it then." the principal muttered, as he left the open door and started walking down the empty hallway.

"Looping back E4 North Exit." Spike said, as he brought up the camera feed for the past hour.

"Fast forward a bit- break's at 11:15."

Instead of doing it though, I looked over to Spike to find him staring at me.

"You seem level headed, taken into account that you've been off for the past month after being shot, and that your daughter has been kidnapped."

"Just trying to do my job Spike." I said, as I fast forwarded the video myself, "There. We can barely make out the plate. Zoom in."

Spike went to work as the radio crackled to life. "Spike-" Greg asked, "There's probably a lot of cell phone chatter around here as to why we're here. Anyway of monitoring it from your location- see if anyone else knows anymore information?"

"I can try," Spike replied, "Boss- we got a read on the suspect's vehicle- license number Bravo Mike Bravo Tango Four Six One."

"Copy that. I'll have Winnie run the plates."

I bent down again to inspect the monitor. "Now, lets try to get a description of our suspect- call to police was at 11:21. Ed- when did the police unit arrive on scene?"

Ed replied over the radio, "11:25. Cruiser cameras aren't showing much. All we got is a confirmation that it was Megan who was taken. Suspect was wearing a balaclava, you won't be able to ID him from the camera."

I sighed heavily. _Shit. No leads..._

"Perra," came Jules' voice, "I'm talking to one of Megan's friends- an Ashley O'Connor, you might want to hear this."

"10-4 Jules." I responded, "Spike you got this?"

Spike gave a nod, as I walked back out of the school and to where Jules and Ashley were standing.

"Hey Ashley." I said in a calm voice, although something inside me wanted to scream it. "How you doing today. I guess there's something you want me to know."

"Yeah. Mr. Perrasmith..."

"Call me Perra."

"Ok- Perra..." she started quizzically, "That car that we saw- I'm pretty sure I've seen it before."

"Where?"

"Here. At school. I'm pretty sure I've seen it almost every day for the past month."

"Ok Ashley- why didn't you report this?"

"I didn't think it was an issue."

"Why's that?"

"Because last week I thought it was strange, so I told Zack and Cody- you know- the football captains?"

"Yea sure."

"So they went over and asked the guy what he was doing here. He told them that he had just moved to the city and that he was looking for a high school for his son."

"And Zack and Cody bought it?"

"What can I say? They're dumb as rocks. I mean, football?"

"Of course." I said, as I walked away with Jules.

We approached the command truck, just as Greg was talking on his cellphone.

"So," I started, talking to Jules, "We have one lead- a license plate, so the most he can do is put out an APB on the vehicle. That could take a while."

"It must be hard." Jules sympathized, "I mean, given the circumstances."

_Wow- did the entire team sync up their theories somehow?_

Finally Greg hung up.

"We just got something that's going to blow the roof off this call, Perra." he said, as he engaged the radio, "Team One, report to command truck immediately."

"What about an APB?" I asked.

"We shouldn't need it."

* * *

><p>"What's going on?" I asked, as Ed, Sam and Spike approached.<p>

"Team meeting- in the truck."

We all looked at each other with puzzled glances as we climbed into the truck. Spike took a seat at his typical spot at the desk, while the rest of us remained standing.

"You might want to sit down for this Perra." Greg started, "Spike- log onto the computer. Winnie sent us a link that we she received in an email sent to SRU."

I grabbed a chair from behind me and sat down.

Spike typed away on the keyboard- navigating through menus and login screens with unbent speed and accuracy.

"This it boss?" Spike asked, as he took the cursor and hovered over the link.

"Yup. Toss it over to the big screen so we can all have a gander."

Two quick button presses.

A black image on the screen. It comes into focus and a flowered print couch can be seen.

_Megan._ Lying helplessly, bound and gagged on the couch.

Suddenly a disguised man walked into the frame. He's holding a gun.

_Looks like a compact 1911- possibly a Sig. Or a Ruger._

His voice resonates through the speakers in the truck.

"You know who I have." he starts, "Megan Perrasmith. The daughter of Kristopher Perrasmith. I want 'officer' Perrasmith, alone, at the corner of Victoria and King. No guns. He will pay for what he has done to me. If you don't- I will kill Megan. Slowly."

He grabbed the camera and pointed it at Megan, who was alert and fighting her bonds.

_That's my girl._

"Although," the man said, as he zoomed in on her chest, "That may not be the first thing I do to her."

"Son of a-" I started.

He set down the camera as it remained fixed on Megan. The man quickly removed her gag.

She tried to bite him, but he was too fast for her.

_You're a fighter Megan. Fight._

"Anything you want to tell your daddy?" he egged her on.

And with a quiver in her voice, she responded, "Dad...I love you."

She started softly crying into the couch, as she brought her face down.

"I love you." her muffled voice said again, before the screen went black.

* * *

><p><strong>FLASHPOINT<strong>

A NEW BEGINNING

_A djmay71 fanfiction_

* * *

><p>"Spike- can we get an ISP and trace from the sender of the video?" I asked, as I stood up.<p>

"I can get the original email and link from Winnie- we should have it in half an hour or less- depending on how willing the ISP will release the information."

"We'll get a court order if we have to." Greg started, "Winnie- we got a hit on our plate search in the DMV database?"

"Yeah," she responded over the radio, "Owner of the plate Bravo Mike Bravo Tango Four Six One is one James May- he reported the plates stolen from the vehicle a week ago."

"We can't do much more until we have more intel." Ed added, "Spike- what's our ETA?"

"Looking like another fifteen minutes."

"We're running out of tactical options." Ed thought out loud, "We need to get Perra suited up for the rendezvous."

"You think?" Greg asked, as he wrote some notes down on his writing tablet.

"We split up into two units- I'll shadow Perra at the rendezvous, Jules, Sam and Spike will bust down the door from the intel Spike's working on."

"No-" Greg replied, "No way. If we're going to be doing the rendezvous, he needs more than one shadow Ed."

"What do you suggest?"

"You and Sam will shadow Perra at the rendezvous, from up high. Me, Spike and Jules will dynamically enter the residence that Spike is searching."

"Ok." Ed accepted, "You up for this Perra? It's not exactly ideal, but its our best option."

* * *

><p>Me, Ed and Sam took a truck downtown, and parked in an alleyway a few blocks away.<p>

Sam and Ed were going over some last minute tac plans, while I changed behind the truck into some civilian clothes.

In my right ear, I had a covert radio bud, so I would be able to hear the radio chatter from the rest of the team. At the small of my back, I had a concealed holster with one of the most concealable handguns- a Glock 26.

After getting ready, I went around to the other side of the truck.

"So what's the plan?" I asked.

Sam put the tablet he was working on down on the hood of the truck- "Here's the corner of Victoria and King. These two upper-tier buildings, set behind here on Victoria- that's where we'll be. We also called in Team Six- they're enforcing a soft perimeter around the surrounding four blocks. There will be some people in and out, but it'll be at the discretion of Team Six, and if our guy takes off, we can pursue."

"Good plan, Sam." I commented.

"It's what I do."

"Ok-" Ed interrupted, "We're going to get into position from the back alleys. When we're 10 seconds away from posts, we'll radio you. That will be your cue to start your walk."

"We got Spike on standby for identification?"

"10-4." Ed replied, as he knocked on the long distance photo lens attached to his vest, "Sam, lets move out."

They weren't gone for a minute when I heard a voice over the radio.

"We got an ID from the ISP trace," Spike started, "Belonging to...can I get a drum roll?"

_If only I could reply to the smart ass remark._

"Spike!" came Jules, "Stop screwing around."

"Its a disposable connection. A temporary one. Usually paid for with a credit card, and only in use for a few days."

"And?"

"Card belongs to an Irene McLeod."

"Could possibly be stolen." summarized Greg, "We approach with caution."

Finally, the Spike-Greg conversation stopped, and just in time, as both Ed and Sam radioed in for their 10 second mark.

That was my cue, as I exited the alley, as I walked down King street, towards the corner of Victoria. Suddenly, my years of security surveillance kicked in.

_No suspicious persons- yet. Two people across the street walking dogs. Most likely not him, but we can't rule them out just yet._

As I approached the corner, a man jumped up from a bench and approached me.

"Kristopher Perrasmith." he said calmly.

_Play dumb._

"Sorry, do I know you?"

"I believe you do. I'm the guy who knows where your daughter is."

* * *

><p>"You do..." I replied.<p>

"That's right." the man said, as he drew a handgun from his waistband, "You're going to pay for what you did to me."

"Look, I don't know..."

"Eight years ago...2004," the started, "Get on your knees!"

"Perra- we found Megan!" came Jules' voice over the radio, "Hostage secured."

Complying, with my hands raised, I bent down to my knees.

"I don't know who you are."

"Micheal Deary." the man exclaimed, "Arrested by the goddamn almightly Border Services!"

Then I remembered.

_I was working night shift at one of the busiest port of entries in Canada, which also happened to be a hotspot of criminal activity._

_I had just finished performing a vehicle inspection of a family's car, when another car rolled into my inspection bay._

_A middle aged man got out, and looked around, then at me. I instructed him to go inside and to await further instructions. I didn't have to look too hard- there was a blanket over out forty handguns, and 10 rifles in the trunk. In the glove box, I had found pictures of young women with prices attached to them. After taking pictures of the hard evidence- I walked into the building, and arrested Micheal Deary on the spot for illegal importation of firearms and for attempted human trafficking. _

I knew it was me. _Play dumb._

"I, I think you got the wrong person."

"No! No I don't!" he exclaimed, "_Border Services Officer _Kristopher Perrasmith!"

_Ok- he's figured it out._

"Look man, that was eight years ago. I'm was just doing my job."

"Shut up!" Deary yelled, as he drew back the slide on the handgun, which loaded a cartridge into the chamber, "I had a daughter too, and because of you, she doesn't know who I am! You're going to pay for what you did to me _Officer- _I'm going to kill you..."

I felt the muzzle of the handgun brush up against my temple, but then he aimed it back down, "Your daughter, will, one day, forget who her father was."

The handgun started to come back up, but it never made it.

I suddenly felt the percussion of a 7.62x51mm bullet, travelling at close to 3000 feet per second enter the brain of Micheal Deary.

The handgun never managed to fall to the ground.

Instead of instinctively covering my ears, as I had just heard an object flying no more than four feet away from me break the sound barrier, my hands grabbed for the midair handgun, and in two swift motions, cleared both the magazine and the round in the chamber.

Just another day at work.

* * *

><p>Just two minutes after the shot was taken, Ed was back on street level. After covering up Deary's body with a thin blanket, he came and sat down beside me on the nearby bench.<p>

"Why don't you go?"

"Go where?" I asked.

"St. Pats. Megan was found unconscious, with some minor skin wounds at the house. They'll probably bust out the rape kit. You should be there."

"Thanks Ed."

"No problem," he said, with a wink, as he tossed me the keys to one of the SRU trucks, "Turn on the lights."

After parking in the few spots reserved for police and emergency personnel at the hospital, I ran in and immediately started to question the triage nurses as to where my daughter was.

"Back of the line." the male nurse said to me.

"I'm not here for treatment. I'm here to see my daughter."

"What's her name?" he asked, as he administered an injection of a numbing agent to a patient that was going to need stitches.

"Megan. Megan Perrasmith."

He looked at the nearby clipboard. "No Perrasmith's in my ER."

"Of course she's not going to be in ER dumbass- she's probably in a private room."

"If she's in a private room, you can't see her. Thus the private part."

"I'm her father."

Getting no where, and as the nurse was ready to verbally scold me for asking too many questions, I walked away and started wandering the hospital.

"Kris?"

I turned around- as I recognized the short form of my first name.

Chantal Sewell. One of my former security co-workers, who had become a nurse.

"Hey, Chantal- could you do me favour?"

"Anything for my old supervisor. Still going to give me a good reference?"

"You bet I will Sewell. Could you tell me where my daughter is- Megan Perrasmith?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed, "I was actually just going to stop by her room, and start the pelvic examination."

She guided me to the room.

The blinds were drawn shut, and Haley was sitting in a chair outside the room.

"Haley..."I whispered loudly as I took her in my arms and wrapped my arms around her body.

"I'm going to go in and start the examination." Chantal said, as she opened the door, "One of you is welcome to join us."

We both nodded 'no'.

"Listen, Haley, I should..." I started, as she sat down, as I crouched down, to remain level with her.

"I can't do this anymore Kris." Haley stuttered, as a lone tear began to smear her perfect face, "I can't live each day wondering if you're going to come home in one piece, or if I'm going to be called down to the morgue to identify you with a thousand bullet holes in your chest. I can't live in fear or paranoia that one of the criminals from your past will try to hurt myself or my kids."

"What are you saying Haley?"

"I want a divorce."

I bowed my head down, and held back a few tears of my own. _The woman I've spent the last sixteen years of my life with no longer loves me..._

"Mr. & Mrs. Perrasmith?" Chantal asked, as she came through the door.

"Yes?" I asked.

"There is no evidence of abuse, rape or sexual entry. Your daughter's fine."

I stood up.

"Thanks- I'll see you around Chantal." I said, as I started to walk away.

_'I want a divorce' _were the words playing over and over in my mind.

* * *

><p><em>Where to go? Home? The place that reminds me of the first woman I ever truly cared about wants a divorce? Back to the hospital room? That'll be just a reminder that I couldn't do the one thing I promised myself I would do when I became a cop- protect my family.<em>

Then it hit me.

_My job is all I have. Everything else- its either gone, or inanimate. My car? Inanimate. My family- gone._

After driving around for what seemed like hours, but was really only twenty minutes, it seemed I knew where I was going- to work.

I parked the car and stood outside.

Ed's Ford is gone. Sam's motorcycle is no where to be found. The team must've debriefed and went home.

_Good._

I went in, and went to the locker rooms, and changed into my base exercise layer. After that, I meandered into the gym.

I looked over to the dispatcher's desk. Based on the frantic pace he was working at, team eight must have their hands full.

Finding myself near the punching bag, I initially just lightly punched it playfully, but that turned into gut-wrenching, powerful punches that rocked the mounted chain back and forth.

_Pound that loser of a bag. Pound it! Pound it!_

I could feel beads of sweat rolling down my forehead and onto my cheeks. I never bothered to put on boxing gloves, or to tape my hands, so I was starting to feel the effects of what was most likely going to be brutal bruises on my knuckles and hands.

Then suddenly, I heard a voice from behind me- "You break it, you bought it" which nearly scared me half to death, but I collected my wits fairly quickly and turned around.

"Kiera." I muttered, as she approached me, "We shouldn't..."

"I know." she said, as she took my one hand and was looking it over, "You're going to be bruised tomorrow."

"I know, Kiera." I responded, "What do you want?"

She looked into my eyes, "I want to apologize. About what happened. I feel horrible about it. I was...I know you have every right to hate me."

"Just forget about it Kiera. What's done is done- there's nothing we can do to fix the past."

"Spoken like someone who's tried."

I smirked, "Yeah, I've tried alright."

Kiera smiled. "I heard about your call. Did you want to get a drink before heading home- I'll buy?"

"No, thanks Kiera."

I repositioned my body to the punching bag, as I used my forearm to swipe off the sweat on my brow.

"You are going home, right?" she asked.

"Sometime."

"I'll see you later then." Kiera yelled out, as she left the gym.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: As you can tell, this was an emotionally charged chapter. Some other things I'd like to point out- this chapter was very difficult for me to write. It wasn't the context that made it so, it was the fact that I had lost confidence, and therefore a long term perspective of this fanfiction. After watching a few dozen episodes of Flashpoint, I re-motivated myself to continue on. As well- a lot of people may think I'm writing this to satisfy the tacticool ninja in myself, which I have to admit, it does satisfy, but I write for the characters. The characters of Flashpoint make it the show, and my hats go off to the fabulous writers of one of TV's greatest crime-drama procedural. **


	12. Lost & Found

"Perra- take the shot!" Ed screamed at me.

I lowered the shotgun, which was loaded with a special cartridge: upon impact, the contained adhesive would stick to the surface, and at the same time, a small GPS transmitter would begin to transmit to our GPS receiver.

"Could you go over any more damn pot-holes? Wait- I think you missed one, go back!" I snapped back as I levelled the shotgun.

Aligning the bead sight where I want the transmitter to rest, I took the shot.

* * *

><p>"Ok Mr. Perrasmith- this is it how this going to go," Emily, my lawyer started, "I got some forms here that you need to sign. From there, we wait for your wife's lawyer to initiate the second part of the contract. As your part of the contract, you can make requests and demands regarding ownership of vehicles, real estate and other possessions."<p>

"What about custody of our kids?"

"I'm sorry- only a judge can verbalize a custody arrangement- although we can discuss it now for when we get to that stage."

"I don't care about vehicles. I have my own. The house? Haley can have it. I just want to make sure I don't loose my kids."

"Ok, Officer Perrasmith," Emily said with a smile, "We can work with that."

I was lucky. I don't have a lawyer of my own, even though as a police officer it's highly recommended to have your own, but the SRU was thoughtful enough to allow my Police Services lawyer to assist me in the proceedings with my divorce. I was also quite surprised on how supportive the SRU Commander was of the situation.

I remember being pulled from the gym into his office...

"_You don't mind me in this, do you Commander?" I asked. I was wearing my work-out gear..._

"_No, not at all Perra- please sit."_

_So I sat._

"_From the rumblings I hear among the officers- you're getting divorced?" the commander asked._

"_Yeah."_

"_I don't know about divorce, but I do know that losing someone you love is hard."_

"_Yeah?"_

"_Yes. Do you have someone to talk to? To talk about your feelings?"_

"_To be honest, Commander, I'm not to into the touchy, feely crap."_

"_I understand- but holding back too much emotion can cloud an officer's judgement."_

"_Yeah?"_

"_Yes. That's why you're to see Dr. Laura Green tomorrow. She's our field psychologist, and she specializes in Military & Law Enforcement psychology."_

"_But..."_

"_No 'buts' Perra. It's mandatory. You're going."_

"_And?"_

"_And what?"_

"_And I assume that you didn't pull me into your office to tell me I have to go to the doctor tomorrow." I stated._

"_Do you have a lawyer?"_

"_It's been on my 'to-do' list."_

"_I'll take that as a 'no'."_

"_It's a long list. My job, and the fact that two weeks ago my daughter was kidnapped by a maniac who then held me at gunpoint kinda took priority."_

"_You can use your Police Services lawyer- Emily Makinson- I believe?"_

"Kris?" Emily asked.

I snapped out of my daze. "Yes?"

"Sign here." She pointed to a blank line on a contract sheet.

* * *

><p>After the meeting with the lawyer, my date with the psychologist was at 10am- at the Central Police Station.<p>

I raced out of the lawyer's office at 9, and barely made it into the doctor's office at the stroke of ten.

"You're late." Laura said.

I looked at the time. 10:01am...

"I'm not late. I arrived precisely when I meant to."

She nodded towards a comfy looking chair. I sat down.

_Damn- this chair is pretty comfy..._

"So you're getting divorced?" she asked.

"And why did you phrase that as a question, Alex?"

"Alex?"

"Jeopardy...Alex...never mind."

"You like making jokes?"

"Kind of." I replied.

"Do you feel relieved when you make a joke?"

"Sure."

"So- you're getting divorced- how do you..." Dr. Green started.

"...You know- I don't think she ever got my jokes, but she did laugh."

"Is that what you want to talk about?"

"No."

"So what do you want to talk about?"

"I guess I just need to relax more, eh?" I asked.

"Do you have a relaxing hobby?"

"An M98 Mauser, the shooting range and a case of 6.5 Swiss."

"And what do you feel the most when you're at the shooting range?"

"Recoil."

She bit her lip and shut my file.

"Mr. Perrasmith- it's quite evident you do not need therapy. The least you can do, is stop mocking the process and leave."

"Will do."

* * *

><p>I arrived at headquarters around 11. By now the rest of the team has been here for a few hours, and has already been through the gym and suited back up.<p>

I quickly suited up myself, and dropped by the dispatcher's desk to catch up.

"Hey Winnie. Any mail?" I asked.

"Nope. Not yet."

"Where's the team?"

"Debriefing room. Parker told me to tell you to go right in when you get here."

"Alrightly," I said, as I started walking away, "Keep your stick on the ice, Winnie."

Winnie laughed. She got that joke.

After entering the debriefing room, and exchanging a few 'heys' and 'hellos' with the rest of the team I sat down, as Ed threw a thick file folder down my way.

"You polish up the door ram recently?" he asked, as I started to scan the file.

_Awesome._

I looked up to Parker and said, "I love the smell of shattered door in the morning."

* * *

><p><em>Today's work will be easy. Of course it will be- how easier can it get? Doug Matterson, previously did time for murder of the 2nd degree, arson- with intent to kill and gang violence. He's not answering requests for visits from his parole officer, and the officers from guns and gangs have tracked him down to his current residence.<em>

"Simple stuff." Ed said, as I passed back the file," Me and Perra are alpha on front door entry, going in dynamically. Sam, Jules- Bravo, rear containment, and upon entry, squeeze in. Cut off all possible escape routes. Guns and Gangs Officers Wordsworth and Struthers, meeting us on route. Boss, and Struthers in a truck as lookouts- make sure Matterson won't be shoring up his side with some of his gang buddies. Spike on standby with the boss, in case we need you. Officer Wordsworth riding with Alpha team. If Matterson is seen, Wordy must make first contact. We got Matterson's parole officer on standby if we need him?"

"10-4 Ed." Parker replied, "Simple stuff. What about gear?"

"Simple stuff. Door sledge & breaching kit, flash and smoke bangs, and anything else we can fit in the truck."

"We're going to need to change up." I stated.

"Why's that?" Ed asked.

"He's living in a remote cottage. We park the trucks a good distance away, and blue our ways into our location- we'll need some camo to cover our positions."

Ed smiled.

"I like the way you think Perra."

We all went to the locker room and started getting changed into our issued camo uniforms- uniforms typically reserved for covert out of city tasks and when we assist the MNR with high risk stops.

I stripped down to my base layer, and I hung up my standard grey uniform. I bent down to grab my boots, and my arm ached- where I was shot close to 2 months ago.

I saw Ed glance over at me.

"You'll have good and bad days." he sympathized, "Some day's it'll hurt, sometimes it won't."

Ignoring the pain, I sat down and donned by boots. "Lets get to work." I said aloud, but not to anyone in particular.

* * *

><p>We drove out. And out, and out- then even further.<p>

"How far back is this cottage?" I asked Ed and Wordy- who sat in the back.

"Its fairly remote." Wordy answered, "Its actually surprising we found him.

Ed glanced at the GPS that was guiding him. "We're almost at our point. 10 seconds out."

I nodded at Ed, as I actuated the radio, "Bravo team, this is Alpha, we're almost in position- what's your ETA?"

"Thirty seconds out." Jules answered.

"Thirty seconds." I informed Ed.

Ed pulled over to the side of the road, then drove the SUV through the ditch and hid the massive truck in an alcove of trees.

We got out and went to work.

I went to the back of the truck and opened the hatch. Inside, I grabbed my backpack- which contains the entire breaching kit, minus the sledge. From the left side, I grabbed two drop pouches- one containing a standard field kit- a requirement for officers working in remote areas, and the other contained a water bladder filled with purified water. After donning all that gear, I grabbed the MP5A3- the newest H&K MP5 issue and the door sledge.

Ed grabbed a smaller pack. His pack would carry some of the stuff that I would normally carry, but I can't due to the fact that I'm carrying the entire breaching kit like the lockpicking set, audio and video snakes and other small items.

Wordy- on the other hand, would carry nothing else, other than an SRU issued guest armour- typically a level 3, and his duty gear, like his cuffs, handgun and spray.

"Alpha team ready to go." Ed translated over the radio, "Moving out."

* * *

><p>"Bravo team, in position." radioed in Sam.<p>

"10-4. We're at the door." Ed relayed.

We assumed our positions when we had approached the front door of the cottage. Ed look the left, while I took the right, with Wordy stacked up behind Ed.

"Boss- anything?" Ed asked over the radio.

"We got nothing, but tread carefully Eddie. This guy has a bad rap, and he won't be happy to see us."

"On one Bravo," Ed informed, "Four, three, two...one."

At the end of the countdown, I swung the door sledge rearward and slammed it back into the door.

"Its steel reinforced!" I exclaimed, dropping my pack, to retrieve some more breaching tools, "Cover me!"

I grabbed the door jam pry bar, and with a few swift movements, jammed it into the door jam on the same side of the latch. Exerting pounds of pressure on the jam, caused it to begin to break away from the door frame.

"Let me try this again." I said, as I grabbed the door sledge.

This time the door flew open.

"We're breached!" I exclaimed, as I fell back to the original position I was in beside the door.

Ed dropped in a flashbang.

Then we entered.

"Police- SRU!" I exclaimed, as I followed in behind Kevin and Ed.

"I got him here!" Ed yelled, as I ran behind me.

Matterson was crouched in the doorway, which led into the attached garage.

"Doug Matterson!" Wordy spoke to him, "You are under arrest for failure to comply with your conditions of parole, failure to meet with your parole officer when requested, and for remaining at large. Comply or be shot!"

I shored up Ed's and Wordy's defense, by showing up with my MP5A3 pointed directly at Matterson's chest.

"Comply Doug- or be shot!" Kevin yelled at him.

"Alpha team- 10-78!" I heard Jules scream over the radio, "Rear entrance!"

* * *

><p>"You got him?" I asked Ed.<p>

"10-4" he replied.

I went after Bravo team's distress.

_10-78...Officer in need of assistance, _I thought.

I arrived in the at the rear entrance to find Sam knocked out cold on the ground, and Jules' foot stuck in a primitive bear trap.

"Jules!" I said, as I approached her, "You ok?"

"I'm fine! Get to Sam."

I went over to Sam, and shook him. Nothing.

"What happened?" I asked Jules, as I was getting Sam upright against the wall, and some water for him.

"We were approaching the door, when we heard the flashbang. Matterson must've thrown something out the window, because it hit Sam in the head, knocking him out. When I started to run over to him, I got caught in this trap."

I dribbled some water into Sam's mouth. As I did, he came to.

"Sam. You ok?" I asked.

"My head's pounding. Where's Jules?"

"Over here." she said.

Sam saw the predicament she was in. "Jules!"

I was in between the two, and before I knew it, Sam was approaching me fast.

"Sam!" I yelled at him, as I knocked him in the chest, "Rest your head. Let me attend to Jules."

Sam stood a few yards back, as I turned my attention to Jules.

"You're bleeding." I said, as I passed her the water bottle.

"Is it bad?" she asked.

"Shouldn't be. I just need to release the spring tension and reinsert the pin."

"How do you know so much about bear traps?"

"I spent a lot of time with my old man hunting bears in Northern Ontario."

"Doug Matterson in custody." Ed said over the radio, "You guys need a hand?"

"You ok Sam?" I asked.

"Yeah. Just a little dizzy," he said, as he rubbed his hand against the back of his head.

His hand had blood red blood on it.

"Ed- we need an ambulance." I spoke over the radio, "Officer injury- both Jules and Sam."

I released the spring tension on the trap. I could tell that Jules wanted to move.

"Don't move." I said, as I reinserted the safety pin, "Ok, you're good."

I grabbed Jules by putting one arm behind her back, and one behind her legs, as she put both her arms around my neck, as I carried her through the house, to the waiting ambulance outside, with Sam in tow.

* * *

><p>"Good job," Greg said to me and Ed, as the ambulance doors went shut, and it took off, "Sam and Jules will be fine. They just can't work the rest of their shift."<p>

"Now what?" Ed asked, "We're down two."

"We patrol." Greg said, with a smile, as I heard Spike exclaim, "woohoo!" from a distance away.

* * *

><p>Me and Ed took one truck and went downtown to start our patrol, whereas Spike and Parker decided to patrol around the GTA.<p>

With Ed driving, I sat in the passenger's seat, observing the road on my side, as well as keeping an ear on the APB radio.

"Unit 722 10-78 on 10-22T at Queen." came a dispatch over the radio.

I picked up the receiver, _We're in the area... _"Dispatch- this is SRU Team One Alpha Unit, we'll 10-78 U722."

"We will?" Ed joked, as he turned on the lights and sped up.

"10-4 SRU T1 Alpha." the dispatcher responded, "Please 10-21 for details."

Puzzled, I grabbed the PDA and dialled the Emergency Services Dispatch Office.

"Hello. SRU Officer Kristopher Perrasmith, with Team One Alpha. Ok. Ok- thanks."

"What's going on?" Ed asked.

"Officer suspects drugs in the vehicle."

We pulled up to the incident scene.

Ed got out, as I stayed in the truck. He wasn't out for long, as suddenly, the suspect and his vehicle took off.

Ed jumped back into the SUV, and floored the gas in pursuit.

I grabbed the radio and called into dispatch- "This is SRU Team One Alpha Unit- 10-22T at Queen now in pursuit- possible 10-15 and V. May have D's and a 10-24- dispatch, are you 10-4?"

"10-4 SRU Team One. Attention all units- 10-22T in pursuit in progress- possible 10-15 with V and D's and 10-24. All units 10-64. Proceed with engagement on SRU approval."

I threw the radio back in place, as Ed inched the vehicle closer.

I noticed that Ed was putting my side window down.

"Attach a GPS!" Ed yelled at me.

I unbuckled my seat belt, as I reached back to the back seat area, as I grabbed the in-vehicle 12ga shotgun. With it in one hand, I grabbed a special blue shell from the shot shell holder on the shotgun.

I leaned out the window, and aimed the shotgun at the rear bumper of the speeding vehicle that Ed had now caught up to.

"Perra- take the shot!" Ed screamed at me.

I lowered the shotgun, which was loaded with a special cartridge: upon impact, the contained adhesive would stick to the surface, and at the same time, a small GPS transmitter would begin to transmit to our GPS receiver.

"Could you go over any more damn pot-holes? Wait- I think you missed one, go back!" I snapped back as I levelled the shotgun.

Aligning the bead sight where I want the transmitter to rest, I took the shot.

* * *

><p>"GPS Attached" I said, as I lowered back into the seat.<p>

"Backing off." Ed said, as he backed off the throttle, "Spike- can you trace our GPS transmitter?" Ed asked over the SRU radio.

"Will do." Spike responded, "What's the lot number on the cartridge?"

I removed the shot shell from the shotgun and spoke into the radio, "107."

"Tracing GPS transmitter, from lot number 107. Tapping into traffic cameras and cross-referencing data." Spike informed, "Got it. Got the signal."

"Great news, Spike. Where's it going?"

"Heading down to the docks. Looks like..."

"Marina A." Greg answered.

Suddenly, I could hear Parker over the APB radio, "This is SRU Team One Bravo Unit- 10-22T from Queen in pursuit, attention all units nearby- do not engage. SRU only."

"We got a plate number Alpha?" Spike asked.

"Plate number Juliet Foxtrot Tango Foxtrot Eighter Two Seven." I responded, "White sedan, of Toyota make- most likely a Camry."

I heard Spike laugh over the radio, as he started to punch in the information, "Most popular car in Canada."

* * *

><p>After getting down to the docks, we were able to apprehend the man in the vehicle. We were unable to get from him why he took off, but we arrested him for Evading Police, Public Endangerment, Reckless Behaviour and Possession of a controlled substance.<p>

Luckily we found no firearms in the vehicle. But- we did find a handgun concealled on him as I patted him down before putting him in a cruiser to be sent to lock-up. A stainless steel Kimber Eclipse.

After the tow-truck came to tow away the accused vehicle, the entire team defected back to the SRU station.

After a quick, informal debriefing in the gym with myself, Ed, Spike, and Greg. We all went our own ways. Our shift was over- but Ed and Greg got asked by the Commander if they wanted to show up at the range to shoot some prototype Diemaco C8A1s.

Me and Spike went to the locker room and started getting changed. Halfway through changing though- Spike's phone rang, so he went out into the hall to take the call.

"Decent?" came a woman's voice from the door.

"Yeah." I said, figuring out who it was.

Jules walked in and leaned against my open locker. "Thanks for today."

"No problem Jules. How's you're ankle?"

"I'm cleared for duty."

I laughed, "Must be nice."

She smiled and sat down beside me. "How's it going?"

"I'd rather not talk about it."

"Ok- do you..."

"I'm gonna loose them." I whispered

"Who?" she asked.

"The kids. I'll loose them. I slept in my car for the past week. What judge in his right mind would grant custody to me?"

"You won't loose them, Perra," Jules said to me, "You're a great dad. Why don't you stay with me until you get back on your feet?"

"You'd be ok with that?"

"Yeah, I mean. We're team-mates. I count on you to cover my back, and you do that. Let me cover yours."


	13. At The Movies

_Last night before we left work, the boss and Ed pulled us all into the debriefing room._

_Inside, there was a well dressed RCMP, or Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer sitting down at the head of the table._

"_Everyone- this is Ray Brodie." Greg introduced, "He'll be assisting us with tomorrows operation."_

_We all sat down, as Ray handed us all our own file folders, complete with operation & reccy information- all vital to tomorrows assignment._

"_Whoa, there Ray-" Ed said, "How many trees did you kill? What are you- God?"_

"_I'm no God, " Ray said with his deep baritone voice, "That's how we roll in the Mounties."_

"_Ray- if someone asks if you're a God- say yes." Ed joked, "So- pirates?"_

"_None of the gold, all of the bad." Ray explained, "Movie pirates. They rip DVDs onto blank discs, and sell them dirt cheap. They sell a hell of a lot of units this way."_

"_And I understand- this is the first major bust the RCMP has ever undertaken?" Greg asked._

"_That's right." Ray said, "And we're using Toronto's finest. We got 10 targets, 10 filed warrants, but we need to crack them in less than 24 hours. Our guys may be competitors, but they do watch each others back when it comes to the cops."_

"_So we work in splinter units." Ed proposed, "We split off in pairs- me and Perra. Sam and Spike, Jules and boss. We bang in at a set bingo time."_

"_That works," I said, "What about you Ray?"_

"_I'd like to be in the action too, Ed." Ray complimented, "Otherwise, its a great plan."_

_Ed sighed, "Ok- Ray & boss, Me & Perra, Spike & Sam..."_

"_That leaves Jules without a partner." Spike pointed out._

_Ed lightly tapped his bald head on the table, "Spike- don't make this harder than it is."_

"_We go with larger splinter units, Ed," Greg thought aloud, "Me, Ray and Ed- we'll take on some the larger warrants, same as our Bravo unit- Jules, Spike and Perra. Sam will be the go between."_

"_How is that different than a Alpha, Bravo setup?" Sam asked, "Why not boss, Ray, Ed- alpha, me and Jules, and Spike and Perra?"_

"_You and Spike, and Perra and Jules." Ed changed._

"_Whatever." Sam dodged the change of plan, "At least we'll have our three teams."_

* * *

><p>I woke up violently.<p>

I didn't recognize where I was.

Drywall patches all over the ceiling- like someone was slowly renovating their home. Thick stretched, clear plastic over the windows that let in too much wind.

I sat up.

_I was dreaming about last night's debate over team assignment._

Then I remembered where I was.

A few days ago, Jules had told me that I could stay with her until I found my own place.

A clang came from the kitchen beside the living room- where I slept- as Jules came in with a huge glass of coffee for me.

"Rise and shine, sunshine," she said with glee, "Big day today."

"Yeah, I know." I said, as I stood up and took a sip of coffee.

_You know, I've only been here for three days, and Jules already knows what I take in my coffee- Haley never knew that, and we were together for over 10 years._

"What the hell?" Jules said, as she walked over to the window and peered out, "Houston- we have a problem."

"What would that be?"

"It's Sam!"

Puzzled, I walked over to the window, to confirm that Sam had pulled in on his motorcycle. "So?"

"I haven't really told anyone about our living arrangement." Jules said, "You?"

"I haven't. I thought that was your job."

"Hey Jules." Sam said, as he opened the front door and looked at us both.

And it was kinda awkward- me, in a shirt and underwear; Jules wearing only a skimpy set of night clothes, that were all wrinkled up."

"Maybe I should've knocked." Sam said, as he left.

* * *

><p>Even though we were going to the same place, Jules was adamant that we take our own vehicles, and that we give each other time in between so we're not getting there at the same time.<p>

"I don't want anybody to get the wrong idea." Jules said before getting into her Jeep.

At the station, I walked into the locker room. Sam had just finished getting dressed and gave me a look then walked out.

"What's wrong with him?" I asked Ed.

"He's been grumpy since he showed up." Ed's muffled voice said, as he pulled over his shirt, "Probably woke up on the wrong side of a strange bed." Ed summized.

I donned my shirt, "Yeah?"

"Yeah." Ed said, as he looked around to make sure that no one was listening, "I think him and Jules broke it off."

All I did was nod and continue getting dressed.

As we were leaving the locker room and walking down the hall, Ed said, "After today's call, Spike wants to take you out to the bar. 'Get back in the dating scene' apparently."

"Ok."

Jules popped out of her locker room and joined us.

"So you going?" Ed asked me.

"Going where?" Jules asked.

"Spike wants me to go to the bar tonight."

"And?" Jules asked.

"I'll make up my mind later."

We entered the debriefing room, and everybody else was there, including Ray.

"Change of plan," Ed told everyone, "Jules and Sam, and Spike and Perra."

* * *

><p>"Ok Bravo unit two-" Ed told me and Spike over the radio, "Bingo is set at 1010 hours. Bust in and arrest. You'll meet up with Bravo unit one at warrant seven. The bingo for warrant seven is 1100 hours."<p>

"We have less than an hour to go in on this warrant, arrest, wait for a cruiser and the CIU, then drive to the next?" I asked.

"Yep." came Ed's reply.

"Can we have an extension?"

"Nope."

I looked at my watch. 1008.

"Lets get into position." I said to Spike as we creeped up to the front door.

1009.

I had the door sledge in my hands, with a short barrelled C8A1 slung over my shoulder.

Spike had a hand resting on the flash and smoke bangs, which were nestled into their pouches on his vest. He wanted to use a new KRISS Super V today, but he got told by Ed that he wasn't going to allow Spike to take an untested firearm into the field.

1010.

I swung the sledge, which knocked the door right down.

Spike threw in the smokes and flashes, as we quickly turned away from the door opening.

The bangs went off, as Spike entered the house.

"Police! SRU!" Spike exclaimed.

"There he is!" I yelled at Spike, who was going to be cutting off our target from the exit.

"You feeling lucky, punk?" Spike joked as he pointed the MP5 at our target, as I got the handcuffs on him.

* * *

><p>After a cruiser showed up to take the suspect away, and the Crime Investigation Unit came on scene, me and Spike piled into a truck on were on our way to warrant seven.<p>

"How's the divorce coming along?" Spike asked.

"Well, Spike, its a divorce." I said, as I turned a corner, "Why?"

"Megan's been texting and emailing me a lot. She doesn't want to see you fighting with her mother."

"I'm not fighting with her Spike. It's a civil case of law."

I pulled up, so my drivers side window mated up to the SRU truck that Jules and Sam was in.

I rolled down my window.

"We're going to need a bigger boat." Sam said, as he removed his sunglasses and threw them up on the dash.

"Why's that?" I asked.

"There's a good 4 people on this arrest warrant."

"We better call in some cruisers now." I said to Spike, who picked up his PDA to call it in, "Keep them a few blocks back though."

"What's the plan?" Sam asked.

"You asking me?" I said, puzzled, as Sam had more experience in SRU tactics.

"Try it on." Sam said.

I glanced over to Jules who gave me a weak smile, then over to our target residence.

"Its a big place. Lots of advantages for the wrong side, if we let them get there. You and Jules- bust through the back...wait..."

I looked at something attached to the side of the house.

"New plan." I said, with a smile.

* * *

><p>We collected two smoke bangs.<p>

At the same time, Jules and Spike released the pins. The smoke from one was engulfing an exterior smoke detector, while the smoke from the other was seeping underneath the rear door of the home.

It wasn't long until the smoke detector went off.

And as predicted, all the occupants exited the home into the front yard, all of which, passed by me and Sam.

"Police!" I cried out, pointing my firearm at the group, "On the ground!"

They all did as commanded, but one audacious punk tried to run.

I easily caught up to him, and knocked him to the ground. "Palms to heaven." I instructed to him.

* * *

><p>It was 12 noon and we already had five of the ten warrants completed.<p>

We met up as a team, and got paired up with someone else.

This time, I'd be busting down a door with the boss.

"Ok- we have to try our best at this one." Greg whispered to me, as we got into position.

Behind me, I heard Ray mutter "Do or do not. There is no try."

"Did you just quote Star Wars?" I asked him.

"Maybe."

"Here's Johnny." Greg whispered, as we saw our target come down the stairs of the apartment building.

"Police! SRU!" I yelled, as I stood up.

"Johnathan Cubes- you're under arrest for piracy of copyrighted material!" Greg exclaimed.

John must've realized that he had no where to run, as he threw up his arms.

Ray moved in finalize the arrest.

We got ours done. Spike and Ed most likely already have theirs done, and Sam and Jules are probably waiting for the rest of us to finish.

8 done. Two to go.

Time to move onto the big fish.

* * *

><p>"Ok-" Ray Brodie explained, "In comparison, these two will make the rest look like minor drug busts."<p>

"Seriously?" Sam asked.

"Seriously, Samwise." Ray continued, "These two- they work together. They rip everything- movies, music discs, TV shows on DVD, the end all of all available media. Worst part is- they sell both hard copies and online copies."

"Real big fish then." Spike said, understanding the stakes.

"What's the plan, Ray?" Ed asked.

"By now, we have to assume they know we're coming for them. They'll be erasing hard-drives, destroying copying machines, and the hard copies they create."

"So we go in hard tactical." Sam suggested, "Bust in, smoke & flash, and arrest."

"They're probably armed." Ray said.

"We go in hard, they shoot back, and next thing we know, we're in the middle of a firefight." Ed explained.

"That and my wrists are killing me." I said, "Haven't swung the sledge that many times since the Academy."

"Spike- we got floor plans?" Ed asked.

"Coming up." Spike said, as he hammered in a few keys on the laptop, then turned the screen towards Ed.

"We're exposed on all four sides." Ed thought aloud, "What do you think boss? Surround and do your thing?"

"Sure." Parker said with a grin, "I'd like to stretch the negotiator muscle at least once today."

* * *

><p>We drove to the final target residence, with the lights and sirens on.<p>

When we got there, I got out of the driver's seat, and pulled the C8A1 out with me.

On the passenger side, Jules got out, and opened the rear door, and grabbed a precision grade Remington 700.

Jules deployed the bipod on the gun and rested it on the hood of the truck.

I came around behind Jules, and touched her shoulder, as I readied my rifle.

"I got your back." I whispered to her.

To my left, about 20 feet, Ed and Sam had a similar setup as us, and in between me and Ed, was Spike, Greg and Ray, taking cover behind another truck, with Spike covering the backs of both Ray and Greg.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Parker go for the megaphone.

"Timothy and Bryan Rossi- please exit the house immediately, with your hands behind your head." came the boss' amplified voice.

I saw the drape on the second floor move.

"Second floor, 3rd from left." I whispered to Jules, as I acted as her spotter as well.

"You are surrounded." Greg explained to the occupants over the megaphone, "I'll be calling the house phone. I need you to pick up, so we can discuss a peaceful surrender."

Then I noticed the drape on the same window being pulled open.

I saw what was going on, and immediately put myself in action.

I bent down, behind the cover of the truck, and I grabbed Jules' shoulder, taking her down with me.

"We got a tango!" I yelled out, just before a small caliber bullet ricocheted off the bumper of the truck and into the pavement.

"We're taking fire." I heard Ed yell over to Parker, "We're moving in.

"Bravo!" Ed yelled over to me and Ed, as I handed Jules her MP5 and threw the precision rifle back into the truck, and grabbed a KPOS stock from the backseat.

"Right behind you Alpha!" I responded, as me and Jules grabbed ballistic shields and walked slowly behind Sam and Ed.

Once we got to the front door, there was an overhang above us, which would protect us from the man shooting from above, but we didn't take any chances.

Jules and Sam covered us with their shields, as I dropped down my pack and recovered the door sledge from it, and as Ed readied a flashbang.

Before I grabbed the sledge to edge it into position, (and with practised lightning speed), I installed my Glock sidearm into the KPOS CQB stock.

Like all the other warrants, I bashed in the door, followed by a flash bang.

Jules and Sam entered first, with the shields, and me and Ed took the rear.

"Alpha first, Bravo- second floor!" Ed commanded.

Jules started up the stairs, shield out front, with her smaller framed sidearm to the side. I followed behind her, with my firearm readied.

We got to the second floor, and sweeped the hall. Nothing.

Jules dropped the shield down, as we inched towards a closed door.

We opened it and entered and sweeped. Nothing.

"Not in here." Jules said as she started to turn around, but brought up her weapon instead.

"Drop the weapon!" Jules yelled.

I twisted my body to the side, and saw a 20-something man, armed with a bolt action 22 long rifle, with it pointed at Jules.

I brought up the Glocked KPOS, "SRU! Drop the weapon, and put your hands in the air."

The man didn't comply, and I noted his trigger finger begin to move into the trigger guard.

I grabbed the barrel of the rifle and pulled up towards the ceiling. With a quick forward punt of my hand on the barrel, the buttstock slammed into his shoulder, knocking him off balance.

While he tried to regain his balance, I ripped the gun from his hands and threw it back to Jules.

His hand dove into his pocket, and he pulled out a fixed blade knife.

Putting some hand to hand training techniques to work, I pinned him up against the wall. He still hadn't released the knife yet.

"Drop the knife!" I yelled into his ear- sure to create hearing damage.

I saw that Jules and cleared the suspect's rifle and had pulled out her taser.

"Drop it or be tased!" he screamed.

He didn't comply.

Before the taser's leads made contact, his wrist slipped my grip, and the knife went firmly into my thigh. Although in pain, I didn't release my grip.

But when one of the leads from the taser embedded into my skin, I didn't have a choice, but to release, as all the muscles in my body began to spasm uncontrollably.

No longer having control of my body- I passed out.

* * *

><p>When I woke up, I was in the exact same spot that I passed out in.<p>

_I wasn't out for long._

"Oh my god, you're ok." a crouched down Jules said to me.

I stood, up with Jules steadying me.

"Place clear?"

"Yeah." she said, as she helped me down the steps, "That was Bryan Rossi. I got the cuffs on him after I tased him. Some officers came up and got him a few minutes ago."

"What about Tim Rossi?" I asked, as we got to the bottom of the stairs.

"Ed found him in the kitchen. Punched a knife through his own chest."

"Was I ok?" I asked finally.

"You stopped breathing." Jules said, as she grabbed my wrist and took a check of my pulse. "Scariest minute of my life- actually seeing you start to die."

Suddenly, I felt Jules wrap her arms around me. I wasn't uncomfortable to the sensation, I just thought it was odd, her expressing feeling and emotion in the field.

"I'll never die on you Julianna Callihan." I said, as I stroked her hair a bit.

She pushed away whenever the boss was approaching us.

"Gave us a bit of a scare Perra." Parker said, "Jules- SIU needs to talk to you."

"But..." Jules protested.

"No 'buts' Jules." Greg said, "Just a few questions. No wrong answers."

Grudgingly, she walked towards two detectives, as they escorted her outside. Before they shut the door, I saw her sneak a glance back at me and Greg.

"She doesn't like that." Greg said, as he started to walk away, and towards Ed, some distance away.

"So-" Spike said from behind me as I swung around, "You wanna hit the bar after you get your leg stitched up?"

It was at that point when I forgot I was stabbed.

"No, thanks Spike. I should try to rest a bit."

"C'mon," Spike nagged, "The more you rest, the less time you have to find another special somebody."

I collected my thoughts. "You know Spike- I think I may have found her."


	14. Change Is Never Good

**A/N: I find it very surprising that I was able to write two chapters without one authors note. As always- I love to hear from my readers: tell me what you like and what you don't like. Also, as a side note, I'm most likely going to get a pair of pet finches within the next month and I'm planning on making them my beta audience. Cheers!**

* * *

><p>We reported to the scene. Ed let me drive, but throughout the drive my mind was racing through the details of the call.<p>

_Concerned citizens saw a young woman at the top of a 8 storey building downtown- crouched and tucked into a narrow corner, shivering._

I snapped to it, whenever we pulled up to the spot.

Parker and Sam were out for the day. Apparently Sam had made last minute plans to go fishing with his father and Parker had some personal issues to work out.

No matter. Ed was assigned the team captain for the day, and I was to cover the team leader position.

After getting out, two firefighters approached us.

"Firehouse?" Spike whispered, so only we could hear them, "What the hell they doing here?"

"Hey!" one of the fire men said to me, as he recognized me and I recognized him, "Kris, man! How's it going? Shit going down?"

"Alright man, lets keep it professional," I said to him, "We're on the record."

"Sorry," he said, "I forgot how anal you are."

"You two know each other?" Ed asked.

"Yeah," I replied, "This is Fire Sarge Derek Mare. We grew up together."

"Grew up together? Man, that's an under-statement, heck, we practically brothers."

"Dude- no matter how gangster you talk, you'll always be white." I responded to my friend's gangsta slang-talk, "Lets get real here- what's going on?"

"We got a call," Mare said, "From the first responder on scene- 'tall ladder required'."

"Spike, we got floor plans yet?" I asked over the radio into the command truck, as Spike had immediately gone to work on intelligence.

"Yeah, we got them Perra-" Spike started, "No roof access."

Ed's phone rang, as he answered it.

"Ok," I continued talking to Derek, "We got a young woman on the roof of this building. Have any of your guys been up yet."

"Not yet, we're waiting on you."

"Alright," I decided, "We need spotters- I want three of your guys with binos observing- let us know if her status changes."

"You got it. Anything else?"

"Get the storey ladder on standby with a double harness, in case we need to go up and talk this girl down."

Ed hung up his phone, "Perra- we need to talk her down."

"How do you know that?"

"She called 911 and threatened to jump. We have a possible jumper. If she jumps, her body will hit the ground in less than 10 seconds."

I grabbed my binoculars and observed the woman, then passed them to Ed. "Womanly touch?" I asked, as I glanced back to Jules, who had been standing there the entire time.

"Yeah." Ed answered.

"Alright Jules," I said, as I turned around, "Let's get you harnessed up. Let's talk her down."

"And keep the peace." Ed finished.

* * *

><p>"Nice one Jules." Ed praised.<p>

Jules had gone up, and talked her down. _She makes it look easy..._

I caught myself smiling, as I finished jotting down my final note in my notebook and put it back in the drop pouch.

Then my cell phone rang.

"Kris Perrasmith." I responded.

"Kris?"

"Speaking. Who I am talking to?"

"Its me...Haley."

I bit my tongue for a moment and I continue on with the conversation.

"What's going on?"

"I'm down at the courthouse. We're supposed to see the judge for the final ruling in a half hour. Where are you?"

_Crap._

"I'm at work. I'll be there as fast as I can."

I turned and spoke to Ed and Jules, "Hey, that was Haley- I gotta get down to the courthouse. See you later?"

Ed responded, "No debriefing on this one anyways."

At the same time, Jules said, "Yeah."

Relieved to get off work from Ed, I climbed into a truck and took off.

* * *

><p>" 'See you later' ?" Ed asked Jules, "What's going on?"<p>

"Oh, its nothing." Jules responded, as they both piled into the other truck with Spike in the backseat.

Ed put the truck into gear- "Jules- you can tell me anything, you know that right?"

"Yeah, Ed, I know, its..."

"Its what?" Ed interrupted, "Jules, you know that with this job you don't have much of a personal life, and even then, that stuff can be used against you."

"What are you getting at?"

"Are you and Perra involved?"

"If it helps any," Spike butted in, "He told me the other day that he's already falling for someone else."

Jules looked back at Spike.

"Sorry." Spike muttered, as he leaned back and grabbed his phone.

"Of course not Eddie." Jules responded.

"So you've never thought or considered it?" he asked her.

"No."

_But that's a lie, _Jules thought to herself, _Last night in the kitchen, we felt more than just friends, or co-workers. Almost like..._

"Hey," Spike yelled from the back, "Who wants to go for a pint or two down at Yellow Dragon?"

" 'Yellow Dragon' ?" Ed asked, "What kind of name is that?"

"Its a new club downtown- its in the basement of a shopping mall." Spike answered.

"Spike- not only does that place sound illegal, but its a place I never go willingly."

"What about you Jules?" Spike asked.

"Ah, no, Spike. I want to get an early start on painting the backyard fence."

* * *

><p>I went into the courthouse still in uniform, and still with all equipment- firearm, cuffs, spray, taser, among others.<p>

"Uhm, Sir," the screening security guard said to me, "What's with the gun?"

"Police- Strategic Response Unit. Officer Kristopher Allison Perrasmith."

"I'm going to have to ask that you remove all metal."

I looked at the dumbfounded security guard.

"Do you realize how long that would take? I'm just here for my final divorce arrangement meeting."

"Guard Barr!" I heard a yell.

I looked up to see the security supervisor.

_Good._

"Let this fine man through- the SRU are people we want on our side!"

I walked past the guard named Barr, as I continued on my way. "See you next time."

I knew where to go. I had been there three times already- once with the lawyers to start the paperwork, second time to discuss ownership of property and estate with the judge, and the 3rd time to talk about custody arrangement with a child's lawyer and a divorced custody arrangement expert.

I walked into the room and sat down.

Haley and her lawyer sat beside me, and my lawyer- Emily Makinson.

"You're late" Emily said to me.

"Put it on the tab."

"And now- we're here to finalize all discussions and make final the separation and divorce of Kristopher Allison Perrasmith to Haley Leeverson McLeod." the judge started, "Any final proposals or counter-proposals?"

Nothing was said.

"Ok-" the judge continued, "Moving on- the entire estate, except items and belongings belonging exclusively to Mr. Perrasmith will be granted to Ms. McLeod. The property of 19892 Wales Drive, currently belonging to both Mr. Perrasmith and Ms. McLeod, will be gifted to Ms. McLeod, however, half of the suggested retail market value of the property will be paid to Mr. Perrasmith from Ms. McLeod. Are both parties in agreement?"

"Yes", we both said.

"And now- the finalization of the custody arrangement regarding Megan Perrasmith and Matthew Perrasmith. Due to recent evidence, I am moved to grant exclusive custody of Megan Perrasmith to Mr. Perrasmith, and exclusive custody of Matthew Perrasmith to Ms. McLeod."

"I'm sorry- what?" I asked, " 'Recent evidence' ? Do we have a copy of said evidence?" I asked Emily.

"Yes, I do Kris," she responded, "I can't provide the copy to you, due to the nature of it, but it was a letter from your daughter to the Justice of the Peace of the Municipality of Toronto."

"So what does all of this mean?" I asked the judge.

"Sir," he explained, "It means you daughter requested to live with you exclusively, with no visitation rights to her mother. I usually don't accept these sort of things, but due to the mature age of your daughter, she is of the age to make such decision on her own."

"Mature age- she's sixteen!"

"Do you wish to over-rule?"

I thought about it.

"I just want to make sure," I replied calmly, "That everything is in the best interest of my kids."

"I understand." The judge agreed, "You are living at...?"

"The current address of my client is in the file." Emily stated.

The judge opened the file. "With Julianna Callihan? New girlfriend?"

"No. Generous co-worker."

"Ok-" the judge started, "Mr. Perrasmith- you are an excellent father, you have a steady income, and you have a place to live that will house both yourself and your daughter. In this sort of situation, because of your public stance, I would not hesitate to give you exclusive custody of your children with visitation rights- but because of the request from your daughter, I'm moved to give exclusive custody of Matthew to Ms. McLeod, with visitation rights, on the condition that Ms. McLeod is able to get steady employment and income. Failure to do so, will result in exclusive custody without visitation to Mr. Perrasmith. If Ms. McLeod can do so, and can continue to provide for Matthew up to and following our 6 month probationary period- I'll grant exclusive custody with no visitation to Ms. McLeod. Understood?"

Both me and Haley nodded, as we signed the last paper- therefore nullifying our marriage.

* * *

><p>When I walked out to the truck, the first thing I saw was Megan, leaning up against the front bumper, holding one bag, while another was standing upright on the pavement.<p>

"Hey dad."

"Hey." I responded, as I unlocked the SRU truck with the keys, "Get in."

I drove to the station, where I handed the keys back in and got changed.

"So- where are you living dad?" Megan asked after we got into my car.

"Why don't we go out for dinner first?"

So we headed down to a quiet sandwich shop that Spike had shown me once. After ordering our food, and sitting down, I stared at Megan.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"We need to talk."

"Dad- I'm fine. I'll get over it."

"I'm not talking about the abduction- other things."

"Like?"

"Like- why me?"

"Dad-" she started as she stared at me, "To be honest- I never really cared about what you did. But after you got shot, I followed the news, and did research."

"By research, you mean ask Spike?"

Megan laughed, "Yeah. Anyways- Its really cool. And then- when your team saved me- it came into perspective. You change people's lives dad- I want to be able to do that, and I don't think mom would let me."

"That's right- she probably wouldn't." I thought aloud, thinking of Haley's protests against my police work, "So you wanna be a cop?"

"Something like that- maybe even paramedic or military."

"That's great, Megan, I'm proud of you. But- do you really hate your mother that much?"

"I don't hate her- I've just seen how she's been with you, and I have a feeling she wouldn't want her only daughter doing the same thing. And even if she was ok with it- she wouldn't be able to help me like you would."

"They usually like to talk to your parents- see how your family life is."

"See?" she pointed out, "You know all that stuff. And- even grandma?"

I looked out the window into the street. "Your grandmother was the exception, because of her condition."

"So, where we going?"

I turned to face her, "What do you mean?"

"I assume we're not going to sleep in the car, right?"

"Oh yeah, I've been living with Jules."

"Rock on dad!" Megan said, too loudly, "You humpin' her?"

"Ok- Megan, I'm only going to tell you this once, so pay attention. There's nothing going on between me and Jules, ok?"

"Ok." she responded.

"But yeah, I'm living with Jules. I texted her in the locker room, and she's fine with you staying for a while."

" 'For a while'?"

"Yeah, its temporary Megan. I've found some great apartments near the DVP. It'll actually be a shorter drive to work for me."

"What about me?"

"What about you, Megan?"

"Well- school. Can I still go to Warden?"

"To be honest Megan- I never really liked that school to begin with. That and, I think maybe you should be going to a different school."

"What? Why?" she asked.

"Well," I explained, "You need a new environment. Its not good for victims of crime to revisit the scene of the crime on a daily basis."

"But..."

"And you want to be a cop, right?"

"Well, maybe."

"There's some great schools out there Megan. And to get far in policing you'll want to go to Humber College. Now, their Police program is very progressive and it tends to be popular as well, so they only take on the best of the best."

"Ok." Megan said, as she took a pickle out of her sandwich and threw it on the tray, "But can I finish sophomore year at Warden?"

"Sure thing."

* * *

><p>After eating, and the lengthy father-daughter talk, we went back to Jules' place.<p>

"Hey Jules." I said, as we came in the door.

"Did you guys eat already?" she asked.

"Yeah, we went to that sandwich place that Spike told us about."

"Oh, yeah. That place is good." Jules said, with her voice trailing off, "Well, there's some pizza in the fridge if you want some."

"Thanks," I said, as Megan handed me one of her bags from outside the door, as she came in.

"Jules- you remember my daughter, Megan?"

"Yeah, of course. How you doing Megan?"

"Fine." Megan said sheepishly, with a hint of blushing in her cheeks, "I'm kinda tired Dad..."

"Oh yeah," I said, "Upstairs, on the right- second door."

When Megan was upstairs, and after the bedroom door shut, is when I spoke again.

But it wasn't much speaking, as more of sitting down on the couch and moaning loudly.

From the kitchen, I heard Jules opening two drinks. She came into the living room, and handed me a beer.

"You could use it." she said, as she sat next to me, "How did everything go?"

"Well- I'm no longer married."

Jules smiled. "That's it?"

"Well- Megan requested exclusive custody to her father with no visitation from her mother- which was agreed, and because of that, Haley now has exclusive custody of Matthew and I'll have visitation until she can get a steady job."

* * *

><p>After a few drinks, and talking about previous calls and incidents in our work life, it was time for bed.<p>

"Well," I said, as I stretched my body, and removed my shirt, as the temperature was staying around a steady thirty degrees Celsius, "Time for bed."

I stared to lie down on the couch, when Jules got up from the couch, which caused her thin, loosely fitting pyjamas to float in the air for a few seconds, allowing some bare flesh on her chest to be seen.

_Why did you look? Did she see me look? _I wondered to myself.

"Don't sleep on the couch." Jules said.

"Where else am I going to sleep? Megan's taking the room I'm using, and I'm not into sharing a room with my daughter."

I saw Jules' eye dart down then back up to my eyes.

_Did she just check me out?_

"Well, you need your sleep Perra. You can't sleep on a couch."

"Detest- I can."

"Well- you can't get a quality sleep from a couch. And- my room is air conditioned."

I stared dumbfounded. _Did she suggest what I think she did? What would this mean to our relationship?_

* * *

><p>Me and Perra had a few drinks, and I guess sometime between starting drinking and now, we had changed into our night clothes.<p>

He got up and removed his shirt.

_Oh my god...but he's your co-worker..._

"Time for bed." he said.

I got up from the couch, and during the process, I noticed that my chest became exposed for a moment.

_Oh my god- did he see that? Does he think I'm sexually available? I mean I am but..._

"Don't sleep on the couch." I blurted out.

_Why the hell did I say that? Does my subconscious want him to sleep with me?_

"Where else am I going to sleep? Megan's taking the room I'm using, and I'm not into sharing a room with my daughter."

I caught my eyes looking over his body. I could feel sensations running up and down my spine like I've never felt before.

_Stop, Jules, Stop!_

"Well, you need your sleep Perra. You can't sleep on a couch."

"Detest- I can."

"Well- you can't get a quality sleep from a couch. And- my room is air conditioned."

_It actually does make sense. He needs to be fully alert for work, and he can't do that if he doesn't get a good nights sleep._

I looked up to see him looking at me. I matched his stare into my eyes with one of my own.

Finally, giving into my lust-driven urges, I lurched forward and threw myself onto him, lips first.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: The following section is extremely suggestive. Reader discretion is advised.**

* * *

><p>Jules planted her soft lips on mine. For once, I thought to myself <em>Let it happen- turn off your brain for one night.<em>

The next thing I knew, I was carrying her up the stairs, and into her room.

I placed her quietly on the bed, as I turned around and shut the door. Turning back around, I saw her writhing off her pyjamas.

I climbed into bed with her. I rubbed my rough hand against the smooth skin of her graceful legs.

I felt her tremble with anticipation. Instead of going for it, I planted soft kisses on her stomach, slowly making my way back up to her lips, where I firmly planted mine against hers. I felt her hands rub my muscular chest, as they landed on the waistband of my boxers, as he begun to pull them off.

* * *

><p>I woke up in the morning, with the thin, sheet like blankets from Jules' bed covering me. To my left, Jules was asleep, as her body was tight against mine- her head on my shoulder and her arm on my bare chest.<p>

_What are we now? Are we still just co-workers, or are we something more?_

"You awake Perra?" I heard Jules whisper.

"Yeah. I'm here."

She sat up, as she pulled the blankets around her chest. "Where do we go from here?"

"I don't know."

Jules looked at me with intent, "I've had feelings for you for a while Perra."

I looked at her, as she snuggled back close to me. "Since when?" I asked.

"Since the DVP crash incident."

"Since I was shot."

"Yeah." she said, "That night- I couldn't stay in the hospital. I called up Sam, and we talked. Did you know that me and Sam were involved?"

"Yeah, I knew." I replied, "So where do we go from here?"

She turned her head, as she kissed me. "I think I love you Perra."

"I love you too Jules."

Jules started to cry. "But we can't be involved if we're on the same team."

I stared out into nothingness, as I collected my thoughts. "I'll get a new job." I said, "You've been with the team the longest."

"You'd do that?"

"Yeah, I would. We should be together."

I could tell that Jules was thinking- "Or, we could just not tell anybody. I mean- nobody knows that you're staying here, right?"

"Well," I said, as I counted on my fingers, "Sam, my lawyer, the judge, my ex-wife and my daughter."

"That's five."

"And Sam could tell anyone on the team at anytime." I explained.

"He's probably told Ed by now. Maybe that's why Ed was asking me those questions." Jules wondered aloud.

"What questions?"

"He was asking me yesterday if I had feelings for you, or if I had ever considered it."

"What'd you say?"

"No."

I smiled, "Then you were lying."

"But I don't like lying to Ed- or Greg for that matter."

"Don't worry- if Ed left it at that- he believes you. So, lets assume that Sam has told Ed, who told the boss. They haven't done anything yet, because they think you're just being a good co-worker."

"Ok," Jules said, content that we had figured that out, "What about your lawyer, judge, and ex-wife?"

"Lawyer," I explained again, "She can't say anything- lawyer-client confidentiality. The judge- I told him its a temporary solution, and the same holds true for Haley."

"What about Megan?"

"What about her?"

"Things get around a high school Perra- especially in Toronto. She knows that her father and her co-worker are involved, she mentions it to a few friends, those friends tell a few friends, then a concerned parent or teacher over hears, and reports it, and then we both loose our careers."

"I won't tell her."

"What do you mean?"

"I won't tell her that we're involved- easy peasy."

"Yeah, well, she probably heard us having sex last night."

"No she didn't. That girl has slept through worse. She's gone through two smoke alarms, a flock of finches mating and..."

"And what?"

"Me and Haley having sex."

Jules smiled. "So she definitely didn't hear us."

* * *

><p>"Megan- breakfast!" I yelled up the stairs.<p>

After getting out of bed and dressed, me and Jules had slipped downstairs and started making breakfast. She was making some mean pancakes, while I whipped up some coffee, bacon, and toast.

"You can actually cook!" Jules commented, "I don't know one guy who can cook this well."

Megan sauntered down the steps, "What time is it?" she asked, as she sat down at the granite bar-like extension off the counter top.

"1000 hours." I replied with a smile.

"Dad- not this crap again. Especially not this early."

"Hey, if you want to be a police officer, you better get used to it."

"You wanna be a cop?" Jules asked, as she passed Megan a plateful of pancakes, bacon and toast.

"Maybe." Megan replied with a shy tone, still not used to being addressed directly by Jules, "Maybe a paramedic or even join the military."

"Well that's cool." Jules said, as she joined us, "My dad was part of the very first SWAT team. Then, something happened, and the entire family moved out west. He wasn't happy when I told him I'm part of the SRU."

"Really?" Megan asked.

"Yeah." Jules said, after swallowing some pancakes, "Would you ever want to go into SRU?"

"Maybe," Megan said, as she poured a river full of syrup on her pancakes, "But I've never fired a gun before."

Jules looked up at me. "We can fix that- can't we Perra?"

"We could." I said with a smile- happy that Megan and Jules were getting along.

"So, what's going on today?" Megan asked.

"Well," I said, "Me and Jules have to go to work for 1700."

"Dad..."

"Five PM. What time we gonna be off?"

"We haven't got the reccy yet." Jules said, as she checked her PDA, "Should be getting it soon."

"You got any homework Meg?" I asked.

"No. Just have to work on my fitness journal for phys. ed."

"Alright." I said.

"Can I go over to Ashley's tonight?"

"Ashley Ginger?" Jules asked, as she looked at me and Megan, "Sorry- I just remember her from..."

"Yeah, that's her." Megan replied. "Dad?"

"How late?"

"Midnight?"

"Eleven?"

"Midnight?" she asked again.

"How about ten?"

"Dad!"

"Ok- lets split the difference: 10:30."

"Dad- c'mon!"

"Alright, eleven. How you getting there?"

"I'll take a cab."

"And home?"

"A cab."

"You got money for that?" I asked.

She gave me a look.

"Fine." I gave in, "I'll give you twenty bucks later."

"How am I going to get in if you guys aren't home yet?" she asked.

"Oh," Jules said, "Outside, in the front garden, there's three garden gnomes."

"Ok."

"Follow the garden gnomes."

Puzzled, Megan was trying to figure it out in her head. "What?"

Jules laughed. "The lock is coded- there's a keypad. Each gnome is holding up some fingers. Follow the sequence in the order you walk up to the door."

"Seriously?" Megan said with a laugh.

"Yeah," I said, as I smiled over at Jules, "Seriously."


	15. Act As If I Care

"Put the weapon down, Tyrone!" Ed yelled.

Myself, Ed and Spike had our suspect cornered in a downtown alleyway.

Over the radio, Greg warned, "Be safe fellas. Remember the last time we cornered him?"

Remembering, the last time, I felt the long sleeved uniform rubbing up against the chemical burns on my arms.

* * *

><p>I was lying down on the couch, resting my eyes before work, when the PDA went off.<p>

I lifted it from the floor and opened up the information and reconnaissance file- otherwise known as the reccy file.

After opening it, I smiled, as I finished reading my part of tonight's job. After reading it, I got up and went upstairs and went into Jules' room.

Jules was on her bed. It was evident she was reading large book, as she had put it off to the side when the reccy file was posted into her PDA. She was reading the screen of the PDA with intent.

"It's almost like they know." Jules said with a smile, as I quickly looked behind me, to make sure Megan was no where in sight, as I stooped down and kissed her.

* * *

><p>After getting ready for work, using the vital information from the reccy file, I jumped into my car and went to the station.<p>

Immediately heading into the lobby, I saw Spike manoeuvring around his aptly named bomb-disposal robot; Babycakes.

"Baby came out to play?" I asked, as I walked past the locker room door and into the debriefing room.

Inside Ed was sitting down. "How are you today, Perra?"

"Outstanding sir." I replied, as I plunked my butt into one of the chairs. "Looks like it'll be an interesting night."

"Hopefully not too interesting," Greg said, as he came in, followed by Sam, "A good night will be an uneventful night."

Sam sat down. "Seriously, Ed?"

"What?" Ed asked.

"Never mind." Sam said, as he leaned back in his chair.

After a few short minutes, Jules joined us, and Spike had tried to drive Babycakes into the room, but he was told right away by Ed to go park her back in the garage.

Once everyone was assembled in the room, Greg brought up all the information on the screen.

"As I'm sure all of you can guess- we're undercover tonight. More specifically- armed & undercover. Providing the..."

Then the call horn rang out.

"Team one-hot call."

"Marcus-" Greg yelled out to the new night time dispatcher, "Team six and eight are on duty."

"And they're both in Scarborough at the prisoner detention centre dealing with an attempted prison break." Marcus replied.

Greg sighed, "Alright- call up team five to take care of the undercover at the hotel. Feed me on the fly."

"Armed abduction of five year old Jenna Parkerson from Don Valley View Mall. Inside security has been contacted- lockdown in progress. We got uniforms maintaining a hard perimeter. I got Mark Parkerson on the line."

After scrambling into the drivers side of the truck, and Greg getting into the passenger's side to my surprise, I overheard Greg's side of the conversation with Mark Parkerson.

"Ok, Ok sir. Stay where you are, we'll be there in..."

"Five minutes" I replied.

"Five minutes, Mark. Yes. Are you with an officer now? Ok- give him your statement, and I'll talk to you down there."

* * *

><p>"Ok-" Greg said, as we got out of the trucks at the mall, just as the command truck was rolling in, "With any luck, our suspect is still inside. Spike- your on intel. Two search units, alpha, Ed and Perra, bravo Sam and Jules."<p>

"We know who we're looking for yet?" Sam snapped, "How we supposed to search without knowing who we're searching for."

"That's why Spike is on intel." Greg explained, "I'll talk to Mr. Parkerson. I'll update in five- just get in there and make our presence known- hopefully our guy is squeamish and he tries to run when he sees us, therefore identifying him for us."

"Sam, Jules, north entrance." Ed commanded, as I followed Ed to the south entrance.

At the doors, two police officers let us inside the first door, and in between the outside and inside doors, a security guard approached us.

"Robert Churchill." he introduced himself, "Big fan of your work."

"And we'll be a fan of yours if you can help us out." I said back, "Where'd it happen?"

"Food court. Right this way."

The guard led us to the area, but then he had to leave.

"Ok- we fan out from here." Ed said, as he scanned the area.

"Less lethal?" I asked.

"Good thinking Perra," Ed complimented, as he broadcasted over the radio, "Bravo- less lethal only. We don't want to start a gun fight or over penetrate into the shops."

After switching to our marked less lethal magazines, Greg came over the radio.

"We got a description of our subject- black male, approximately six-three, short buzz-cut hair, and a dragon tattoo down his right arm, wearing a thin white muscle shirt and black shorts. Spike found his image on the CCTV and sent it to the PDAs. According to our Mr. Parkerson, the man is armed with a .380 ACP."

I took out the PDA and looked at the picture, while I spoke into the radio, "Man knows guns."

"Mr. Parkerson is a legal Canadian firearms enthusiast and collector."

"Nothing wrong with that." Jules replied.

* * *

><p>"Progress team one?" Greg asked over the radio.<p>

"Its a big place boss," Ed relayed, "Its going to take some time."

"Same here." Sam said.

"We also got the eight security guards roaming and looking looking for our guy- I'd say the odds are in our favour"

"12 to 1200?" I said to Ed, as we finished clearing the food court, and moved on to the 2nd level, "Yes, the odds are forever in your favour." I said sarcastically.

I looked over the ledge down onto 1st floor. Then I noticed something.

"Bravo- do you have the lower level booths cleared?" I asked.

"Yes we do."

"We got action down there." I nodded to Ed, as we raced down the escalator, "Police, SRU! Stay where you are!"

As I got closer, I saw our suspect, grabbing a small girl by her wrists and running off with her.

"I got him!" I screamed over the radio, as I pushed my legs hard to catch up, "Police- SRU! Stop right now!"

I looked back over my shoulder to confirm that Ed had my flank, and as I turned my head around, I noticed a canister thrown over the shoulder of the man.

"Take cover!"

I took cover behind a jewelry booth, while Ed took up cover behind me.

It was no use though, as the canister opened upon impact on the hard floor and exploded into a noxious fume.

The smoke was thick, and I had enough time to grab the gas mask out of my pack and put it on.

The mask stopped me from breathing in the fumes, but I could feel my exposed skin starting to burn.

"Fall back! Fall back!" I yelled to Ed, as we fell back to cover further back.

When we were behind cover I examined my skin as I put my explosive and poisonous gases training to work.

"Its Lewisite- damn this guy is good."

"Lewisite?" Ed asked.

"It burns exposed skin," I said, and then engaged the radio, "Spike- do a search for persons who have purchased lewisite over the past six months."

"10-4"

"Proceed with caution." Greg said.

"The gas dissipated?" Ed asked.

"Its no good." Greg explained, "He got past the officers in the lower south entrance, and into the parking lot. He took a truck. Spike planted a GPS before he took off though."

"Good." Ed replied, "We'll start pursuit."

"Hold on that Eddie- let's give this guy some breathing room, we don't want anything happening to that little girl."

* * *

><p>The team reassembled at the command post.<p>

"Let me look at your arms." Spike asked me.

I rolled up my sleeves as he examined them. "No broken skin- you should be good. Just gotta remember to keep your arms covered to prevent it from drying up and cracking."

"Lewisite, though? Any hits?" I asked.

"None yet. Probably obtained illegally."

"Or made."

"You can make this stuff?" Greg asked.

"You can if you know what you're doing." I replied.

"Officer's get the plates?" Ed asked.

"Yup." Spike said, as he sat down, "And we got a hit- Tyrone Isabel Morgan- also goes by Ty and Tim. He's got a record."

"All chemical criminals do." I stated, as I applied a damp cloth to my skin to keep it moist.

"Small time stuff- no jail time. Petty theft, vandalism, public urination- we got an address."

"Me and Jules will take the house." Greg said, "Sam, Ed, Perra- follow the GPS signal. Spike- you feed us."

I covered up my arms and followed Sam and Ed out to one of the SUVs.

"I'll drive." Sam said, as he started for the driver's side.

"No I will." Ed talked back.

"Ed..." Sam started.

"Hey!" I yelled, "Who cares who drives? Someone's drivin' and it ain't me!"

" 'Ain't' is gonna look bad on the transcript" Sam muttered as he got into the driver's seat.

As I got into the back, I engaged the radio, "Spike, tap us into the GPS signal."

* * *

><p>"License Alpha Yankee Foxtrot Delta Four One One," Marcus spoke over the All-Police radio, "All units advise on location. Follow, but do not engage- SRU only. Suspect of Amber alert."<p>

After listening to the APB radio, I reached forward and turned on the public radio in the SRU SUV.

Just like it was meant to be, they were talking about the Amber Alert.

"Jenna Parkerson, five years of age, with blonde hair, blue eyes. Last seen wearing a pink dress. Suspect is Tyrone Morgan, 32 years of age, Afro-Canadian, with thin hair, and a long tattoo down his right arm. Suspect is presumed armed and dangerous. Anybody with information can call..."

Ed turned off the radio. "We don't need to listen to that. If anybody calls in, the information gets relayed to Spike."

"I know. Its just nice to listen to Spike's work."

"I got him." Sam said, as he got behind the suspect's vehicle, "We still stealth?"

"We have to be." Ed replied, "No shooting the tires or spike stripes- not while that girl is still on board."

"We need to get that girl out of the equation." I thought aloud, as something came to my mind, "Spike- the vehicle is a Ford Explorer- can we get ears in?"

"I can do you one better- you can talk to him."

"Spike- you're like a computer ninja." I complimented.

"I'll have it tapped into your headset in five."

* * *

><p>Greg and Jules pulled up to the home of Tyrone Isabel Morgan.<p>

Together, they approached the door.

Greg knocked loud on the door, "Police- we just want to talk."

No answer.

Greg kicked in the door, and the duo began clearing the small one bedroom, one bath home.

"All clear."

"You take the kitchen Jules, I start in the living room," Greg started, "What do you see?"

"Nothing yet."

"No photos, no personal items."

"What are you thinking boss?"

"I don't know. Isolated from family, maybe society, wants to have a family. Takes Jenna Parkerson to have a 'family'. "

"Not much of a family." Jules said, as she picked up a camera, "A family is two people who love each other- forgives the little things, and looks only to the big picture."

Greg looked at Jules. "That's deep Jules. Where's this coming from?"

"I don't know. Maybe someday, I'd like to have a family."

Greg looked at her. "You will."

"I got something."

"What is it?"

Jules turned the back of the camera to Greg, as she scrolled through the pictures, "That's our girl. He's been watching her for a while."

"Pre-meditated?"

"Look's like it. But why?"

"If you don't have a significant aspect of your life, you try to have a significant aspect of your life."

Greg nodded, as he engaged the radio, "Team one- Mr. Morgan has been following Jenna Parkerson for a while now. Based on what we've found, he's disconnected from society, and he makes no attempt to be reconnect, so he becomes obsessed with other things- namely Jenna Parkerson. He's tried hard to follow her, and he may believe that she's better off with him."

"Psychopathic?" Ed asked.

"No Ed, just lonely. You guys make contact yet?"

"We're tailing him under stealth. He's all over the place- first we thought he was going to the waterfront, then the highway. Now, his choice of streets has led us downtown. Spike's tapping Perra into the in-car intercom, we'll try to talk him down- to give up the girl, then we'll approach."

"10-4 Eddie- stay safe. Spike- you find any family, friends or co-workers we can talk to?"

"Family no. Friends-no. Co-workers? None of them are interested in talking to us."

"Where did he work?"

"Procter & Gamble, as a chemical engineer."

"Well, there's our chemical reference."

"But he doesn't work there anymore. He was let go after coming back from bereavement leave."  
>"Why's that?"<p>

"His bereavement was his father murdering his mother, then taking himself. After he went back to work though, he apparently was drinking and smoking marijuana at work."

"Well, there's our catalyst- mother and father dead, is only connection to a normal life within society, then he becomes reclusive. Attempts to be normal by going back to work, while self medicating with booze and drugs. When that gets taken away, he becomes obsessed with other things- like Jenna Parkerson."

"Why Jenna Parkerson?" Jules asked.

"I don't know." Greg said to her, as they started to leave the house and go back to the SUV, "Perra is going to try talking him down and bargain for Jenna Parkerson."

As Jules stepped into the SRU vehicle, she could feel warmth inside her, as her feelings for Perra grew stronger.

* * *

><p>"You're in Perra." Spike said to me over the radio.<p>

"Tyrone Morgan- this is the Strategic Response Unit- my name is Kris Perrasmith. We want to help you. If you could just pull over and we can talk about this."

"Go away man."

"I can't do that Tyrone. How about you tell me about Jenna- is she ok?"

"She's fine. We're all fine."

"That's good Tyrone. I can tell that you care about her- so why don't you pull over and let her go back to her family?"

"She has no family- just like me. Her mother is dead, father is a deadbeat. I can give her the life she deserves."

"And what life is that exactly Tyrone? What can you offer, that her father can't?"

"I just know, you know?"

"No, I don't, Mr. Morgan. Why don't you pull over and we can talk about it?"

"No!"

I disengaged the live channel, and went to the team's radio channel.

"He's breaking down boss."

"Keep at it, Perra." Greg reinforced, "Connect with him. Find some middle ground and keep him there."

"Ok."

Back to the live channel.

"So- Jenna- how are you feeling? Probably seems strange to be talking to someone who isn't in the car, right?"

"I've done it before." came the squeaky voice of Jenna Parkerson, "Are you a police?"

"Yes I am, honey. Are you ok?"

"I'm thirsty."

"Tyrone- you hear that? If you want to take care of her, then you have to take care of her."

"Alright- I'll get her something to drink."

I removed the headset from my ear and spoke to Ed, "Up ahead is the Bayview strip mall. He'll probably stop in there."

"How far out are you guys?" Ed asked Greg.

"We can be there in 60 seconds."

"Ok- we're going to roll and save." Ed explained, "Jules, Boss- you're bravo. You'll take the right side of the vehicle. We're on the left as Alpha. Alpha's the distraction, while Jules goes for the extraction of Jenna Parkerson. We clear?"

"We don't we extract?" Sam asked.

"Ok- Sam," Ed snapped, "I've had enough of your questions and smart ass remarks- you can either shut up and do your job, or go back to the station- which is it?"

"I'll find a taxi after we extract."

* * *

><p>The extraction went surprisingly easy.<p>

Tyrone pulled the Ford SUV into the parking lot. Just as he came to a stop- Sam pulled up on the driver's side, right up against the vehicle, preventing him from getting out. Continuing the distraction, me and Ed had our handguns ready, in case he brought up his weapon again.

While distracting the suspect, Greg pulled up alongside the other side. Jules quickly got out and silently opened the rear door, and lifted the small girl out, and put her inside the SRU vehicle. Within seconds the operation was complete and the girl was safe with Greg and Jules.

Just when we thought everything was fine, Tyrone realized that Jenna was gone. He flipped out, and grabbed another canister.

"Shit!' I yelled, as I covered myself.

As I looked up, I saw that he played us all, as he quickly sped off.

"He played us!" Ed exclaimed, as he got out of the SUV.

Sam followed suit, but walked off the property, as he grabbed his phone and started to make a call.

Greg and Jules got out, as I came out of the SRU vehicle.

"What's wrong with him?" Greg asked, about Sam.

"He's been giving everybody attitude and lip all night- I sent him back to the station."

Greg looked displeased, but he didn't raise concern with Ed.

"Ok-" Greg said, "We got Jenna, she's safe, but Tyrone is still at large."

"We're still tracking him on the GPS." Spike said, "I'm two minutes out from your location."

"Ok." Greg thought, "We'll reassemble. Jules will take Jenna back to her father. Spike, Perra, Ed- you'll follow Tyrone's GPS signal, and I'll stay in the truck, and gather any further intel. Got it?"

"Got it." me and Ed said in unison.

* * *

><p>After Spike arrived, the three of us got into an SUV and continued following the GPS signal.<p>

"He's stopping downtown." Spike said from the back, as he monitored the signal with a tablet computer, "Step on it Ed."

Ed threw on the lights and sirens, as he gave the SUV more gas. It didn't take us long to get back the location of the signal, as it was stopped.

The suspect's truck was in the starting of an alleyway. As we approached, we saw Tyrone get out and run down the alley.

"We got a runner!" I exclaimed, as we bounded out, and ran after him.

It wasn't long before we had him cornered.

"Put the weapon down, Tyrone!" Ed yelled.

I had my MP5 at him, while Ed and Spike had their handguns pointed at him.

Over the radio, Greg warned, "Be safe fellas. Remember the last time we cornered him?"

Remembering, the last time, I felt the long sleeved uniform rubbing up against the chemical burns on my arms.

"You got him Ed?" I asked.

"I do." he whispered to me.

I dropped my weapon.

"Tyrone, I'm the officer you were talking to before. I'm officer Kris Perrasmith. We just want to help you buddy."

"You can't help- nobody can. I'm all alone."

"You are not alone, Tyrone. You wanted to help that girl. You know what that is? That's brave. Not everybody understands what it means to help those who cannot help themselves.

"Thanks, I..."

"I'm not finished Tyrone. You may think you're alone, but you're not. You are a very smart man, and there are other smart people out there who want to help you."

He looked up at me and said, "I don't care."

And that was the last thing, he said, as within seconds, he brought up his gun, and put a bullet in his head from less than a foot away.

* * *

><p>I was pissed off at myself.<p>

_I could've prevented Tyrone from taking his life. I could've said one thing different, and he might've changed his mind._

When we got back to the station, we pulled into the garage.

I started to help Ed remove the stuff from the SUV but we muttered to me, "Why don't you go cool off before the debriefing?"

I looked at him. "Thanks, yeah, I will."

Not really knowing where I was going, I started to meander into the building. After a few minutes I found myself in front of my locker.

"I just want to go home." I said to myself.

Behind me, I heard a locker opening. I turned to see it was Sam.

"You save that girl?" he asked, as he sat down on the bench and removed his boots.

"Yeah."

"The guy?"

"Suicide."

I opened my locker, and a picture fell down from the door. I picked it up, and realized I still had a picture of my ex-wife.

_Why am I keeping this? Why am I acting as if I care?_

"That's your ex-wife, eh?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," I replied, as I sat down, "You try to do everything right in life, and you can end up still screwing things up."

"We talking about your failed marriage or the fact that the guy you were talking down killed himself?"

"Thanks for the summary, Sam." I said, as I stood, "I better get going- debriefing..."

"Hey Perra-" Sam started, "I'm sorry if I was hard on you tonight."

"You wanna talk about what happened?"

"Yeah, I think I do."

_Oh shit, here we go...' I was dating Jules'...what are we in- high school?_

"When I was away," Sam said, "Fishing with my dad- we weren't fishing."

"What were you doing?"

"I was talking about returning to the military."

"You wanna go back?" I asked, "Why?"

"It's the only thing I care about."

* * *

><p>After the debriefing, I went home. When me and Jules got home (with a ten minutes difference- we wouldn't want the neighbours to get the wrong idea), Jules went upstairs saying "I'll get something you can put on those burns."<p>

_Sam wants to go back to the military. What does that mean? That he's accepted me and Jules together? Does he actually know? Does Ed know? What about Greg?_

"Here you go." Jules said, as she came back down, and sat beside me, as he put a quarter sized amount of soothing cream on her hand, and started to rub it into my arm.

Then the door opened.

"You're late Megan- I told you eleven."

Megan walked into the living room, and sat right beside me, and cuddled up close. Something she hasn't done for over ten years. "I'm scared dad."


	16. Insecure

"You think we're playing games?" one voice came through the headset- the voice that belonged to the man that was the leader of the gang holding up a downtown bank, "Keep watching. I'll kill one hostage every hour, until you start taking us seriously."

* * *

><p>"What was Megan upset about the other night?" Jules asked at breakfast.<p>

"She told me that she's afraid that people, everyone- is out to get her. To attack her. To hold her hostage."

"PTSD?"

"I dunno, but at her age, I hope she snaps out of it."

"Don't count on it. You should know- it never gets easier."

"I know. Maybe if her confidence was higher, it'd help."

"Maybe I can do something," Jules replied, "Maybe I'll teach her some self-defence."

"Be my guest, if she's willing."

The rest of the Sunday was quiet. Jules took Megan to the gym, while I stayed home, and finished moving in some of my stuff- namely my gun safe and my own, personal firearms collection.

After getting everything tucked away, I took out my favourite gun- an M98 Mauser, chambered in 6.5 Swiss- a known collectors item.

"This is your new home." I said to the inanimate object. Haley used to hate it so much when I talked to my guns, she had me clean and work on them in the garage.

_Lets hope Jules has a different take on this..._

* * *

><p>"And then I took her home, and I...you know..." Spike said, as he continued pumping iron.<p>

Beside him, I laughed, as did Ed.

"What you're sayin' Spike- is that you kissed and told?" Ed asked.

"Hey- when I kiss and tell, I don't usually just kiss- we usually do more than that."

"Ok- lets stop this conversation here." Greg said, as he got onto a cardio machine across from us, "Nobody wants to hear about how Spike lost his virginity."

Ed and me started laughing, as Spike threw the boss a dark scowl.

"I'm joking Spike." Greg said, as Sam passed in front of him, and prepared himself in front of the punching bag.

"Speaking of the devil." Greg said, as he nodded in Sam's direction, "Anything you want to say Sam?"

"I'm sorry about the other day, guys."

Then there was an awkward exchange of 'no problems' and 'forget about it's.

As if on cue, to break the ice, Jules wandered in and stood in the centre, as she decided what she was going to work on. "What we talking about?" she asked.

"New subject." Ed said, lifting a medicine ball, "Everybody get the invitation to my BBQ in a few weeks?"

"Yeah." everybody said in unison.

"Please, Ed, make sure there's enough booze for everyone." Spike said, "Remember last time- me and Sam had to bow out, while you old timers drank virgin screwdrivers and wine."

"What's wrong with some good ol' OJ?" I asked with a laugh.

But the laugh was short spirited, as the call horn rang out, and our favourite dispatcher- Winnie spoke out, "Team One- hot call!"

* * *

><p>"Alarm tripped by vault security at Royal Ontario Bank. Unknown amount of hostages or suspects." Winnie told us over the radio, on our way to the bank.<p>

Down at the bank, we all piled out, and started doing our known jobs. Even though we knew what to do, Ed seemed like pointing it out to everybody.

"Boss and Jules-witnesses, Spike on intel. Sam- find a perch and sit there. Perra- get us some ears and eyes in."

"We got a place for our eyes?" I asked Spike over the radio, as I grabbed the required gear I'd need from the one truck.

"On the roof- air vent- rappel down the vertical shaft. From there, according to the plans, the air ducts change from barely big enough for humans to not big enough for humans."

"So, wheeled drone?"

"That might be your best bet. Fire escape ladder on the south wall will bring you to the roof."

"10-4"

"I'll go with you Perra." Ed said, as he ran behind me, "We need to plan for tac options."

It wasn't long before we were on the roof. Once there, Ed helped me setup a rappelling harness.

"See you on the other side." I said jokingly to Ed while I started my descent.

About halfway down I heard rumblings in the thin tin material that constructed the duct.

"Spike- does the bank use both levels of this building?" I asked.

"Yeah- why?"

"I'm hearing noises on the second level."

"Get a snake in there Perra, check it out." Ed commented.

I grabbed the drill I had prepared before coming down that was hanging off my belt and drilled a big enough hole for my small video snake to fit into.

"What do you see Perra?" Ed asked.

"Two men- probably security guards. Bound and gagged, Looks like a closet."

"Do they see the snake?"

"Probably not. They're not looking at it."

"Alright get it out. They're not going to help us where they are. At least we know where they are though. They still armed?"

I craned the video snake down. "Handguns are missing from their holsters. Probably taken by the suspects."

I pulled the snake out, and put it back in its pouch and continued my descent.

When I finally hit the bottom I radioed up to Ed, "At the bottom."

I immediately went to work. At the bottom of the shaft, I drilled another hole, and put the video snake through it. After setting that up, I removed the wheeled drone from its case in my bag, and turned it on.

"This thing working?" I asked over the radio, as I looked into the camera of the drone.

"Yeah. Drone's online." came Spike's reply.

I put the drone down, and wheeled it into position, using verbal instructions over the radio from Spike.

"In position." Spike said, "Fourteen hostages and four suspects. This video would be nice if we had ears to go with it."

After setting up the audio equipment to the video snake, I replied, "There you go. Ears up. I'm ready to come back up Ed."

Ed started to bring me up, as Spike fed the audio from the feed into our headsets.

"All I hear is Russian." I said to Spike, "You on the right channel?"

"Assuming you set it to channel 8, yes."

"That's the channel its on."

"Then that's what we're hearing from inside."

"Contact the universities Spike," Greg said over the radio, "Someone must speak Russian."

Finally back on the roof, as I was removing the harness I asked Ed, "So- we got a tactical plan yet?"

"I'm working on it."

* * *

><p>"...the police have not yet confirmed the number of suspects or hostages. Strategic Response Unit is on scene."<p>

After listening to the headlines on her smartphone, Megan tucked it back into her pocket, as she neared the front entrance of the school.

_I can do this. Sure, ok, this is my first day back to school since the incident and the divorce. Granted- the self taught independent study was great, but lets face it- there is only so many times I can graph the same parabolas._

She looked over to the right before opening the door. Just three weeks before, she was taken hostage at that same spot.

After getting to her locker, and starting to put away her books, Megan could sense that someone was creeping up behind her. Suddenly, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder.

With her muscles tensing up with indecision, and the swarm of memories of being taken coming back into her mind, Megan nearly fell into her locker.

"What the hell are you doing?" the girl who sneaked up behind her asked.

Megan looked up at the joker, as she got up.

"Jesus Christ, Ashley- what the hell were you doing?"

"It was just a joke, Megan, lighten up." Ashley said, "Thank god you're back though- I don't think I could get through another one of Fenner's classes without you."

"Aha- Fenner." Megan said, with a laugh, as she finally composed herself, and glanced at her schedule posted on the inside of her locker, and grabbing the books required. "Did anyone see me...?"

"Do a head dive into your locker? No, just some freshmen."

"Great, now everyone thinks I'm a klutz."

"A klutz, Meg?" Ashley said with a snort, as Megan closed her locker, and they began walking down the hall together, "You're almost a celebrity."

"How so?"

"Lets see...you get kidnapped on break, and some badass cops-"

"Actually SRU."

"-SRU, whatever, save you. Oh, and lets not forget that everyone knows that your dad is a badass cop."

"Ash- its SRU, Strategic Response Unit." Megan said, as they waited outside their first class.

"Whatever Meg."

After a few quiet moments went by, Megan decided to finally say something.

"My mom and dad are separated, eh?"

"What?"

"Yeah. They filed for divorce, and everything got settled."

"Wow. I didn't know."

"I thought I told you."

"Well, you didn't."

* * *

><p>"Spike!" Ed yelled over the radio, "This place have any sort of loading dock?"<p>

"Yeah," Spike replied, "But once you're in from there, you're exposed on all sides."

"What where you thinking?" I asked Ed, while we still stood on the roof.

"Shape charge through the door."

"That'd be too loud. Why not just open the door?"

"Actually-" Spike thought aloud over the radio, "That might work. Get in, smoke for cover, and get behind the counting area."

"Too risky." Ed figured. "We need another way in."

"What about the sewers?" I said, as I looked out into the street, "The sanitation line is big enough for us, and probably butts right up to the building and dumps in. Shape charge, and we're in."

"Lets try to keep the amount of damage to minimum please." Greg asked.

"Rappel in through the upper windows?" Ed wondered.

"We'd need a helicopter. That, and I'm pretty sure no pilot in his right mind would even attempt hovering down here." I pointed out.

"There's always hard tactical through the front." Sam suggested over the radio.

"Only if there's no other option, Eddie." Greg told us, "We don't want a shooting spree."

"We're running out of options," Ed said, "So far are best plan is a shape charge into the basment."

"Correction-" Spike said, "There is no basment."

"What?" I asked over the radio, "How is there no basement?"

"We'll talk about it on the ground- lets go." Ed spoke, as we approached the fire escape ladder.

Once on the ground, we went inside the command truck, where Spike was working frantically, and Greg and Jules comparing notes.

Sitting in a chair beside Spike I asked, "Any hits?"

"None in the DMV or the TPD databases." he replied, "But they could just have no criminal record, and don't have a new style of license yet."

"What's a bunch of new-time criminals doing with a bank bust?" I asked.

"Any plan yet Eddie?" Greg asked, as he put away his notepad.

"Not yet boss."

"Ok- you try to get into the impossible building, and I'll try to talk down a bunch of unknowns." Greg said with sarcasm.

I silently laughed, as my eyes glanced over the roof-top scan.

Then it came to me.

"Ed-we make our own access. Those small vent tubes are HVAC vents, leading down into the mechanical room. We cut through, rappel in, cut the power..."

"Advantage us." Ed added.

"From the mechanical room, I can set up another set of eyes, which will get us a lot closer to the action. From there we reassemble, and plan out a long term tac, as the boss calls in, and sees what they want."

"That'll work." Ed said, with a grin, "Good job Perra."

* * *

><p>Me, Ed and Jules climbed up onto the roof. Strapped to my back was the tanks that would feed the gas metal cutters.<p>

Once on top, I donned the tinted welding glasses and cut our access. Meanwhile, Jules and Ed created and secured a single man rappel line.

Ed went in first.

"All clear." he told us over the radio.

I assisted Jules into the harness, and before she started lowering herself down, she gave me a big smile.

I couldn't help but smile back.

After the line was released, I followed suit.

Once inside, I went to work drilling another hole in an air vent, and putting in the long lined video snake, while Ed and Jules cut the power.

"In position?" Ed whispered over to me.

I nodded yes.

Ed pulled a set of breakers, as the power to the entire building was turned off.

* * *

><p>Megan was fighting heavy eyes in the last few minutes of math class.<p>

As the bell rang, she snapped to, collected her books and ran out of the class, and back to her locker.

Once there, she opened it up, and shoved the books in, as she started breathing heavily.

_Not again, not again..._

"Hey Megan." Ashley said behind her, "I know we both hate Fenner's class, but what gives? Why did you run out so fast?"

"Ash-" Megan started, as she turned around, and pulled her hair over her ear, "Secret sisters?"

"Secret sisters- you bet."

"The whole time in class- it felt like I was back in that guy's trunk again."

Ashley looked at her friend with concern. "You ok? You look ill. Maybe you should go see the nurse."

Megan shuddered as she felt her temple. "I do feel a bit hot."

"Go." Ashley said, "I'll stop by your gym class and tell McMaster you'll be late."

"Thanks."

* * *

><p>Megan stayed at her locker until the 2nd warning bell. After closing her locker, she walked down the hall, and down one set of stairs. While on the landing in between the two sets of stairs, she looked down in the main hall, and she saw a man running down the hall.<p>

Recognizing the hair of the man, she thought to herself, _Jonas is always late._

Then, as if her last step onto the main floor was the trigger, a long continuous bell could be heard.

Puzzled, and nearly deafened by the bell, she looked around as a door opened, and a teacher grabbed her and pulled her inside.

"Stay with me." he said, as she looked into the class of grade nine geography.

'What's going on?" she asked.

"Its a lockdown- someone's in the school who shouldn't be."

* * *

><p>"Power's cut boss." Ed informed over the radio.<p>

"10-4, calling in." Parker replied.

The silence was killing us.

Then my phone vibrated.

"What's that noise?" Ed asked.

"Its my phone. Ignore it?"

"We got some time. Just be quick."

I un-clipped the retention strap on the pouch.

"Hello?"

"Hey Perra- its Winnie."

"What do you want?"

"I just got a call about Warden High School. I dispatched team six- they should be able to handle it..."

"You called me for that?"

"Well, I remembered that your daughter goes to Warden- just thought I'd let you know."

"Thanks, bye."

I put the phone back.

"Who was it?" Eddie asked, as he was looking around the mechanical room with his flashlight.

"Nothing- a security incident at Warden High School."

"You wanna talk about..." Jules started.

"No, lets just work, ok?"

"I got nothing guys." Greg said over the radio, "But he thinks we're not taking us seriously. Play it Spike."

In the background, I could hear Spike press some buttons, then it came loud and clear over the headset.

"You think we're playing games? Keep watching. I'll kill one hostage every hour, until you start taking us seriously."

"That's threat-" I said to Ed, "We gotta go in."

* * *

><p>Megan looked around frantically, as she tried to get a grip as to what was going on.<p>

_Security incident. The guy got out- he escaped. He's tracking me down to kill me. Oh my god..._

And without a sign- she blacked out.

* * *

><p>"What are they carrying?" Ed asked Spike.<p>

"Looks like handguns. Can't be sure of the caliber though."

"Whatever it is- the vests can take it." I said.

"Alright-" Ed thought out loud, "Flash and smoke in. We go in with the thermals up. We work across- identify and lights out with the less lethal. We don't want to be taking out civilians."

I switched out to my LL mag, as Ed and Jules followed suit.

The two of us formed up on Ed.

I threw in two simultaneous flashbangs and smoke grenades, as we donned our thermal goggles- which would read and display heat signatures.

Ed went in, followed by myself, then Jules.

Ed shot one suspect, as I took one at the same time. The other two started to run, but Ed and Jules knocked them out with a well placed rubber bullet, as I started putting cuffs on the two.

* * *

><p>Megan woke up.<p>

_Lockdown. Lockdown. Oh my god- lockdown!_

She started to shake violently, when the nurse approached her and said.

"Don't worry-" she said, as she checked Megan's vitals, "Everything is ok."

"But the lockdown?"

"The police had received a suicide call from a young man."

"Is he ok?"

"He's fine."

"Who came?" Megan said, as she thought about what her father was told her about his job.

"_Sure, regular officers have the knowledge to talk down people who are planning on killing themselves, but when it comes to the practical- they don't have a lot of experience, so they tend to call SRU."_

"What SRU team came? Team one?" Megan asked.

"I think he said he was part of team six."

_It wasn't dad's team..._

* * *

><p>Sam had entered the bank at some point. With Sam's help, myself, Ed, and Jules took the four suspects and escorted them out of the building.<p>

Once in the cruisers, Ed approached me.

"Good call Perra."

"Thanks, Ed."

"Sucks being single, eh?" Ed asked.

"What do you mean Ed?"

"It means, that at the end of the day, there's no one you get to come home to. No one who understands you."

"Thanks Ed."

"You are single, right?" he asked with a smile.

I gave him a smirk, as I looked sideways across the street to Jules, "Of course." I lied.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hey fellas- I know I had promised to have the first part of the Perrasmith trilogy finished before I left for vacation, but I'm leaving tomorrow and I'm only posting this chapter! Acck! Sorry! What can I say? Life has caught up to me, and decided to throw me a curve-ball that I wasn't expecting.**


	17. Not All Guns Are Bad

"Oh my god- I think he has a gun!"

"Ma'am- where are you?" the dispatcher asked.

"I'm just walking down Kingston- and there's a guy waving a gun in a living room!"

* * *

><p><em>Bang! Bang! Bang!<em>

"_Good job Megan!" I said to my daughter, "Now instead of shooting into the backstop, at least try to hit the target."_

"_Dad!" she spoke loudly, as she still had the ear muffs on, "Its harder than it looks!"_

_I took off her ear muffs. "Its not hard Megan- its only a 9 millimetre."_

"_What do you shoot at work?"_

"_Forty Smith and Wesson."_

* * *

><p>"Talk to me Winnie." Greg said, as the siren went off, and we made our way to the garage.<p>

"Woman walking down Kingston Road- saw a man with a gun in his living room."

"10-4." Greg said, as we started off, "Ok guys, we're treating this as an immediate threat."

"We breach, clear and neutralize." Ed said over the radio, "Alpha team- me and Perra. Sam, Jules, Spike- bravo team- follow in after alpha."

I edged the gas on the SUV harder, as I gained speed to overtake a low moving Nissan.  
>"You ready for this?" I asked.<p>

Jules looked over at me, and with a smile, replied, "You bet I am."

* * *

><p>"<em>Does a forty Smith and Wesson kick more than a 9?" Megan asked.<em>

"_Its called recoil," I replied, as I finished loading the last cartridge into the magazine, and slammed it into the full size Glock 17, "And yeah- it does."_

"_Wasn't Jules supposed to meet us here?"_

"_Yeah, she's coming." I said back as I fought back a gleaming smile._

* * *

><p>Once on scene, I grabbed my firearm from the back, and the door sledge.<p>

Jules covered my approach to the front door, where I met up with Ed, Sam and Spike.

With Ed on the left side of the door, I took the right.

Ed gave me the head shake signal.

With unbent speed and force, the thin exterior door easily flew off the hinges.

I threw down the sledge and followed Ed in, with Sam, Spike and Jules following me.

It was dark in the house, so first things first- turn on the weapon lights. Ed gave me the silent signal, for alpha to clear left, and bravo to clear right. I relayed the silent code back to bravo.

Still following Ed, we approached the living room. Lying still on the floor, was a scruffy faced man, with a handgun in his hand.

"Police- SRU!" I yelled at him.

"What the he-" the man started, but couldn't finish, as Ed flipped him over, face into the carpet, knocked the weapon out of his hands, and started to put the cuffs on him.

* * *

><p><em>Over at the table, I saw Jules unpacking some guns. I walked over.<em>

"_What did you bring short stuff?"_

_Jules threw me a smile. "Oh, not much. The usual."_

"_So, an MP5 and an AR15 with two thousand rounds of ammo?"_

"_You bet."_

_Over at the firing line, I saw that Megan's shooting had stopped, and she was motioning over to me._

"_Dad- it jammed up."_

_I looked at the gun. _

"_Its a failure to extract. It probably ejected at a strange angle, and got caught."_

"_You still running the Generation 4 RSA in the 17?" Jules asked me._

"_Yeah."_

"_Dude- c'mon, change it to the Generation 5."_

"_Nothing wrong with the Gen4." I replied, as I quickly tore the gun down and inspected the RSA._

* * *

><p>I grabbed the gun off of the floor and attempted to clear it. But I couldn't. I pressed the magazine release a bunch of times.<br>_Why isn't it working?_

Then I looked it over. Slide welded to frame. Magazine epoxied in.

"It's a deactivated gun." I said to Ed, who was pulling the subject up to his feet.

"Why you waving around a deactivated gun?" Ed asked the subject.

"Its within my rights to own it. I don't need a license for it. What I do with it in my home, is my business."

Ed gave me a look. "Check it with the boss."

I walked away from Ed and the subject, as I activated my radio.

"Boss- our gunman was using a deactivated firearm. What's the ruling on this one?"

"Handgun?" Greg asked.

"Yeah. On the side, it says Shooters Choice. You want to contact them to see if the dewat is legit?"

"Good thinking Perra. We got an ID team?"

Spike replied, "Home is registered to a Thomas Overburn."

"Ok- hold on Perra, I'm calling them."

I walked back to Ed, who was keeping Mr. Overburn in check.

"Ok- Mr. Overburn," I spoke to him, "You may be facing charges depending on the legitimacy of the deactivated firearm. Until then, you'll remain in our custody."

* * *

><p><em>Me and Jules made a bet. With Jules on the MP5, and me on the AR15- we'd see who could have the best accuracy on a target course, set up by Megan.<em>

_Jules went first._

"_She's pretty good." Megan said._

"_What?" I asked._

"_At shooting. She's good."_

"_Oh, well, yeah. The SRU demands high accuracy skills. She has a lot of experience with it."_

"_What about you?" Megan asked, as Jules finished the target course._

"_Please- watch and learn."_

* * *

><p>"Perra?" came Greg's voice over the radio.<p>

"Yeah?" I replied.

"Its legit. No charges. Release Mr. Overburn from custody. Just so you know, the press is all over this. They may want to talk to you."

"And what do I say?"

"You tell the truth."

"Ok."

* * *

><p><em>After packing up the stuff and the shooting range, we went home...<em>

"Dad!" Megan yelled from the living room, as I grabbed a beer for me and Jules.

When I was finally at the couch, and handed Jules her beer. Megan looked up at me.

"What?" I asked, as I sat down.

"Where's mine?" Megan asked.

"It's coming- in two years."

"Shh!" Jules shushed us, "It's coming on!"

On the TV, there were two of the city's most respected news anchors.

"Earlier today, Toronto's finest, the Strategic Response Unit, responded to call of man in his home, with a gun, as witnessed by a passerby. The SRU held Mr. Thomas Overburn in custody for over twenty minutes, as they gained more information concerning the incident. At 1:18 PM, Mr. Overburn was released from custody. For more information, we go to our field correspondent, Timothy Raaks."

"Thank you Amber. Earlier today, the SRU was here in this exact spot, as they entered the home of Thomas Overburn. As the officers of Strategic Response Unit, Team One left the scene- CityNews 5 was able to catch an interview."

Suddenly the screen popped to the same image, just earlier in the day. It slowly panned to the right, to find me in the frame, along with one of the journalists.

"Why was the Strategic Response Unit dispatched here today?" he asked.

I responded, "SRU was dispatched because we are better equipped to handle a situation like this."

"What was the situation?"

"A passerby had witnessed a man in the home, with a gun."

"And that warranted an SRU response?"

"Yes."

"Were any charges laid in this case?"

"No, no charges were laid, as the firearm turned out to be a deactivated version of the same gun- meaning it cannot be loaded or fired. Any person over the age of majority can own and possess one."

"Is this yet another case for the Councillors to re-consider an ammunition ban in the city?"

"No comment."

Then the screen snapped back to the reporter- Amber.

"Thanks, Tim. Turns out, not all guns are bad."


	18. You Burn First

**A/N: I'd like to thank everyone for all the continued support- not only on this piece, but my other writing projects as well. I've been going through a lot of things in the past month, and it helps to know that even in my darkest moments, there are people out there who eagerly wait for my updates in my writing projects. Again- from the depths of my heart- thank you.**

* * *

><p>I tensed up every muscle in my body. <em>No good. Damn. <em>

"You ok Jules?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm ok."

Wherever we are- its dark, so I can't fully make Jules out, but I can tell she's in front of me, in the same situation I am.

"I love you Jules."

* * *

><p>"You're coming with us." the tall woman, who stood in our debriefing room.<p>

"Where exactly are we going?" Spike asked. At the same time I corrected her. "Actually, it'd be 'coming with me.'"

"Let me explain," he continued, as she flashed her badge at us.

"That doesn't explain anything, I have one too." Spike commented.

"Spike." Ed said, with his signature 'just shut up' look, while looking at Spike.

"Guns and Gangs. We've recently connected two arson scenes to be the works of the DiCamlio gang. There was a third last night. We want SRU's best and brightest there while we investigate the scene- show anybody watching that we mean business."

"So wait-," I said, as I held back a laugh, "You're saying that your guys with big guns isn't cutting it, so you're asking guys with even bigger guns to tag along?"

Me, Spike, Jules and Sam started to laugh. Over on the other side of the table, both Greg and Ed never even moved.

"Alright, lets go."

* * *

><p>Down at the arson scene, Ed, Spike, and Sam covered the perimeter while Greg followed one investigator around, and me and Jules followed another.<p>

"Well, this is boring." Jules muttered to me.

"Would you rather be hiding from a sharpshooter behind cover, then get shot?"

Jules gave me a look.

I looked up to the investigator. He was a good two yards away, and wasn't giving us any attention.

"Ed told me about that call, and I saw your scar the other night. I just connected to dots."

"I saw your scar." Jules whispered to me, "But I didn't need to sleep with you to know how it happened."

"Sorry." I replied.

"Hey cops!" someone yelled from the crowd what was starting to form around the police line, "Go back to your cars, and stuff your faces with your jelly-filled donuts you..."

"Ignore it." I muttered to Jules.

"How can you ignore that?" Jules asked.

"I was a security guard. I got used to being called names."

"He's getting too far from us," Jules said, while motioning her heads towards the investigator.

Jules started to walk ahead, but the floor leading into the basement gave away from under her.

I thought fast, as I quickly threw out my hand. She grabbed it, and before the dry, flame tickled floor could reach the concrete below, I had Jules planted back on solid floor.

The investigator looked back at me.

"Sorry." I replied.

* * *

><p>"Jules- you ok?" Greg asked over the radio.<p>

"Yeah, I'm fine." she replied.

"I got a gunman!" Ed yelled into the radio.

I looked over to Ed, Sam and Spike, as they converged onto the crowd. Greg got to his investigator quickly.

Me and Jules turned to the investigator that we're covering to find another gunman between the Guns and Gangs investigator and us.

"Drop the weapon!" I yelled, "Drop it- now!"

I looked over to Jules, who had her firearm trained on him as well.

"I got him Jules, do your thing." I said.

Jules understood, as she holstered her handgun. "I'm officer Julianna-"

From behind me, I heard gunshots. I spun around to see where they were coming from, but before I knew it- I blacked out.

* * *

><p>Ed had to shoot the gunman that he faced. The man had his finger on the trigger, with the gun pointed directly at Spike.<p>

"Threat neutralized." Ed advised over the radio, "Team one respond."

"All clear." Spike replied.

"All ok." Sam spoke over the radio.

"Ed-" Greg yelled over to him, as he ran over.

"Perra, Jules- status." Ed calmly said over the radio.

"Eddie..." Greg said again.

"What's your status?" Ed said intensely.

"Ed- they've been taken."

"What?" Ed said, as Sam and Spike joined in from either side.

"Officer down?" Spike asked.

"No-" Greg stated, "10-80-O."

"Officer Taken Hostage." Spike translated from the police code into speak.

* * *

><p>I was coming to. I could tell we were in a moving vehicle. I moved my wrists, only to find what was most likely my own handcuffs wrapped around them.<p>

I looked across from me, and I saw Jules lying still, with a bleeding wound to the back of her head.

I looked down at my vest, which I was still wearing. My MP5 was missing, but my handgun was still in its holster, along with two full magazines. The radio looked broken, as one side of it was pried apart. Beside the radio, the GPS unit looked untouched and unscathed.

_Good. When they figure out we're missing, Spike can track our GPS signal. They do know we're missing right?  
><em>

I looked over to Jules' equipment, and it seemed to be in the same condition as mine, right down to the damage to the radio.

_They must've tampered with it._

* * *

><p>"I'm tracking their GPS units," Spike said, as he got out of a SRU truck, with a tablet in hand, "They're heading out of the city."<p>

"Winnie," Greg said, as he engaged the radio, "Check into the traffic cameras, and cross reference to the GPS signals. Put out an APB, with an all units respond. Lets bring Perra and Jules back safe."

"Roger that Sarge."

* * *

><p>The vehicle came to a sudden stop. When it did that, Jules' head smacked hard against the wall of the vehicle, and she started to come to.<p>

"Where are we?" she asked.

"Shh," I shushed, "Let me do the talking."

The rear door opened. The way it opened, I could tell we were in the back of a service van.

"Whaddya know?" one masked man asked me, as he pointed a handgun at Jules.

"She doesn't know anything man." I said, "I do. I'm the guy you want to talk to."

"Oh yeah?" he asked, "What's stopping me from putting a bullet in her head, then? If I don't need her?"

"I never said you don't need her." I explained, "The cops, they'll find you. They'll try to bargain for one of us, and you'll give up her, so you can keep me longer, that way I can tell you everything you need to know."

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea."

I nodded, as I quickly glanced down to Jules' handgun.

"Whatcha lookin' at?" he asked, as he grabbed down and took both Jules' and my handguns. "I'll take those- for your safety."

He looked at our vests, and saw the GPS unit.

"What's this?" he asked, as he grabbed both of our GPS units, ripped them off and threw them in the ditch, "Trackers? They tracking you? What do you know?"

Now the gun was pointing at me.

"Look man, " I said, "Put the gun down, and I'll be more than happy to help you."

"We're going." he said, as he slammed the doors shut, and got back into the cabin and started up the vehicle, and begun driving again.

* * *

><p>Ed, Greg, Sam and Spike all drove in one SUV. It seemed cramped,as they were used to not having any more than three officers in the SUV.<p>

"We still tracking the signal Spike?" Greg asked Spike from the front.

"Yeah. But they've stopped."

"Floor it, Ed." Greg said, "Anything else Spike? Sam?"

"Nothing yet on the traffic cams." Sam replied, as he was using a laptop to scan traffic cameras.

"Boss- ," Spike said, "I got something on channel 6."

"Switch us over, and pipe us in Spike."

Spike switched the frequency on the radio, and directed it through the speakers on the SUV.

"Where are we?" came Jules' voice.

Greg's eyes went wide, as he moved his intercom to channel 6 and spoke into it. "Jules, do you copy?"

"Shh, let me do the talking." came Perra's voice.

"Well, they're alive." Greg thought aloud, "Spike?"

"They're radios must be stuck on transmit only."

They listened into the conversation- although, only one side of it.

"She doesn't know anything man. I do. I'm the guy you want to talk to- I never said that you don't need her. The cops, they'll find you. They'll try to bargain for one of us, and you'll give up her, so you can keep me longer, that way I can tell you everything you need to know."

Then a moment of silence.

"Look man- Put the gun down, and I'll be more than happy to help you."

Then the radio went silent.

"Ok- its confirmed." Greg summarized, "Officers Julianna Callihan and Kristopher Perrasmith are hostages to an unknown subject. The subject is armed. Hostage Officer Perrasmith engaging the subject on the release of Jules. Why?"

Then the voices came back to the radio.

"You ok Jules? You're bleeding."

"I'm ok, Perra."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. They'll find us, and we'll be sipping back some beers at the Goose tonight to celebrate."

"That would be why." Spike replied.

* * *

><p>We kept on driving for what seemed like an hour. Then we stopped.<p>

The doors opened, and two masked men were there. One grabbed Jules and the other me. I looked around.

_We're in the rural part of the city. No traffic cameras out here. What can I do to make it easier to find us?_

I looked over to Jules quickly before I put the plan in motion.

"Let her go. You need me, not her."

"Shut up!" the masked man said, as he pointed a gun in my face, "Walk!"

At gunpoint, me and Jules walked from the parked van into a deserted barn.

Once inside- I let fly.

I quickly spun on my heels, and used the element of surprise to overwhelm. In the same motion, I used a quick head jab to into the shoulder of one assailant.

The gunman's arm jerked up and with the same motion, the firearm went off- firing a bullet into the rafters- sending out a flock of birds into the sky.

The other gunman was quick to adjust and quickly had his gun pointed at me, while the other one composed himself, and pointed his at me as well.

"Lets kill him. Now."

"No- we need him."

"Why?" the assailant that I attacked said, "He's not worth anything."

"This isn't what I signed up for man. I thought we were just going to get some info from these idiots then leave them somewhere."

"Lets start there."

* * *

><p>Ed and Greg got out of the truck at the location of the GPS signal. Sam and Spike stayed inside the vehicle to gather more information.<p>

Ed jumped into the ditch to find the discarded GPS units. "We lost them."

"Traffic cameras?" Greg wondered aloud.

"None out this far." Ed said, as he opened the door on the SUV, and threw the GPS units in, in anger. "Spike- get the acoustic locator out, maybe we can pick something up."

Spike got out, and opened up the rear and started to setup the locator.

Greg gave Ed a distant look. "Its our only lead."

"Do it." Ed muttered to him.

Greg started the radio, "Winnie- pull the SRU personnel files on Jules and Perra. See if there's any ties to the DiCamilio gang."

"Roger that."

"Boss!" Spike said from behind the truck, "I just heard something- coming from the north east."

"What is it Spike?" Greg asked, as he approached him.

"I don't know- could be a gunshot, or just a tractor backfiring."

Spike handed Greg the headphones. Greg donned them, as Spike replayed the noise.

"That sounds like a gunshot." Greg nodded, as he bounded back into the truck, followed by Ed, and Spike, after he threw in the acoustic locator.

"North east, Spike?" Ed asked, as he started to drive.

"Yeah."

"Spike- lets assume that the gun used was an SRU sidearm- based on the noise level, could you figure out how far away they are?"

"Theoretically." Spike replied, "As long as there isn't any long echoes, and the noise refraction remains consistent. Even then, it'd only be accurate to about five clicks."

"Do it." Greg said.

"Ok- It'll take some time though."

* * *

><p>The one man must have been here before. He quickly found a door in the floor, which lead into a shallow cold cellar.<p>

"Get in." we were instructed.

Jules willingly went in first. When she was down there, she looked up to me, as I started to go in.

From behind though, I felt a deliberate push on my back.

I started to fall in, face first, but just before the landing, I twisted my body, so I landed on my back.

"That's for the headbutt- idiot." he said, before he closed the musty wooden door.

We could hear some rustling around, like they were putting large objects on top of the door.

Finally- it stopped.

"They left. Jules said, as she sat down, with her handcuffed hands facing the wall.

"You ok Jules?"

"Yeah, I'm ok." she replied.

"You sure?"

"Don't worry. I've felt worse."

I tried to make her out, but I was having difficulty, as the entire area was black dark.

"I love you Jules."

"I love you too."

* * *

><p>"There's one the vehicles we found in the traffic cam search." Sam pointed out, as he spotted a service van, with the rear doors wide open.<p>

"Lets check it out." Ed said.

Just as he opened the SUV door, Perra's voice rang out through the speakers.

"You ok Jules?"

"Yeah, I'm ok." came Jules' response.

"You sure?"

"Don't worry. I've felt worse."

"I love you Jules."

"I love you too."

Ed looked back to Greg, who looked back to Spike and Sam. "They're involved."

Ed got out, along with Greg. They both approached the vehicle, firearms drawn.

After quickly searching the abandoned vehicle. Ed decided to keep his mind occupied, by looking around for clues.

"Ed, we have to talk about this." Greg started.

"Did you know they were involved?" Ed demanded.

"No- no more secrets."

"Footprints." Ed stated, as he looked to the ground, "Leading into the barn."

"You think they're in there?"

"Worth a shot." Ed said, as he engaged the radio, "Sam, Spike, form up on me. We'll check out the barn."

* * *

><p>"Shit man- there's cops out there." the one masked man told the other after ducking underneath the window.<p>

"Get real Steve- we need to get outta here."

"How we gonna do that Danny?"

"We torch the place."

"What- and kill those cops? Shit man- I'm no murderer! I'm not going to jail."

"We're not going to jail if you listen to me."

* * *

><p>Ed, Spike and Sam silently checked out the building.<p>

"What do you see?" Ed whispered over the radio.

"Dusty floors-" Spike explained, "Makes it good to find footprints. Three distinct sets."

"Any of those three SRU issue boots?" Ed asked.

"The treads don't say 'SRU'..."

"I got a visual." Sam relayed, "Two men, spreading gasoline on the wood. Ed- they're gonna set this place on fire."

"We gotta get in there- this place will go up fast with all that dry wood."

"No guns Ed." Sam reminded him, as they regrouped near the door. Spike was getting the door ram ready.

"No rams." Ed said, as he holstered his gun, and drew out his can of pepper spray, "Its all we got."

Ed kicked in the door.

"Police- SRU!" he yelled at the one guy. He immediately dropped the gas can, and put his hands up. Meanwhile both Sam and Spike had their spray scans pointed at the other man who held a gun pointed in the air.

"I fire, this whole place goes up." he explained, "You never find your coppers, and you die in the process of trying to escape."

"Dude- I ain't a murderer!" Steve yelled.

"Shut up!"

"I am not going to jail!" Steve yelled again, as he jumped onto Danny and pinned him to the ground.

Spike put cuffs on Steve, while Sam cuffed Danny.

When they pulled the pair onto their feet, Ed was right in their faces.

"The two cops you idiots took downtown- where are they!"

"Right over here man, right over here." Steve said, as he lead Ed to the trap door in the floor.

* * *

><p>I heard a door slam open.<p>

"I think they're here." I muttered to Jules.

"The A-team?" Jules laughed.

"Yeah."

Sure enough, we heard Ed's signature 'yell-at-a-badguy' voice, although I couldn't make it out.

Then footsteps. Getting closer.

"They're here." I repeated, as I heard the weight on the door being lifted off.

A huge surge of air floated into the space, as the door was opened. It was musty air, but it was still welcomed.

Then I saw Ed give me a look that I've seen him give countless suspects.

_Ed is mad at me._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thanks for reading. This chapter, I find, was easy to write. Maybe its because I pre-plan my chapters, but also maybe because I had a lot of emotion stored up that I needed to vent. Keep your eyes peeled- two more chapters left, then a fun 'summary' chapter, then I roll right into the next act of the Perrasmith series.**


	19. Shattered

"Now what?" Jules asked, as we sat on the couch. She had her whole body leaned on mine. I had my arm wrapped around her body, as if to protect her.

"We go in for the meeting." I answered.

"But we know what's going to happen-" Jules said, "One of us will have to be re-assigned."

Then a thought came into my head. Actually two thoughts, but I'd have to put that one on the backburner for a while.

"I'll step down. You've been with Team One longer than I have- you should be the one to stay."

Jules looked up at me.

As if on cue, however, to ruin what seemed like an intellectual conversation about our futures, Megan came into the living room and sat down in a chair.

I had told Megan about me and Jules being involved the day after our suspension, which was the day after Ed and the rest of Team One rescued us from a barn after we were taken hostage.

She took it better than I thought. _Maybe it's just me- but maybe Megan's warming up to the idea of Jules being her step-mom._

"Hey dad." Megan said.

"Hey."

"You'd do that for me?" Jules asked, as if there was no interruption to our conversation.

"Of course, I love you."

"Aww- that's sweet dad," Megan said sarcastically, "Do what?"

"Well Megan," I explained, "Two police officers who are involved-"

"You mean sleeping together?"

"Sure. Two police officers, who are involved, can't work in the same unit together. It's a Priority of Life Code issue."

"Oh. So what happens?"

"We have to go in for an disciplinary meeting."

"Good luck dad."

* * *

><p>I suggested to Jules that we both go to the station together, in the same vehicle, and at the same time, but she was adamant that we should go separately.<p>

"Yes- they know we're involved now, but we don't want to give them more than enough reasons."

_That was a lame excuse…_

When I walked into the station, I knew right away that all eyes were trained on me. Winnie, Kiera, that weird janitor…

I was about to muster the courage to continue walking when a figure stood right in front of me.

That figure was Ed.

"Ed." I said.

"Perra," Ed started, "You lied to me. I don't want no liars on my team, so I suggest you look elsewhere for re-assignment, because I will not give you an SRU recommendation."

"Ok Ed." I replied, as I walked towards the debriefing room, where I could see Greg, Jules, and Dr. Toft sitting down, waiting for me.

* * *

><p>I sat down in the debriefing room. Behind me, the door closed.<p>

"You're late." Came a remark from Dr. Toft.

"I wasn't aware there was a deadline. We were told anytime today."

" 'We'." Dr. Toft commented, as he made a note on his notepad, "Very nice Perra."

"Ok if I call you Larry?"

"Sure." He replied, "Now, I'm sure we're all aware as to why we're here, but to refresh your memories…"

Dr. Toft pressed a remote control as an audio conversation came through the single speaker on the table.

"You ok Jules?"

"Yeah, I'm ok."

"I love you Jules."

"I love you too."

"Strategic Response Unit Officers Julianna Callihan and Kristopher Perrasmith, caught on record, expressing profound love for each other. This would normally be the time to object, if you don't love each other, but seeing as you are here for a disciplinary meeting, the both of you are assumed guilty."

Greg shifted uneasily in his seat.

"Parker?" Toft asked, "Thoughts? Comments, questions?"

"I do want to say, that I was not aware of a relationship between Perra and Jules. I don't know how long it was going on for, but they did a damn good job of being unbiased professionals." Parker stated.

"Very well." Dr. Toft continued, as he sat down, "That being said, I am not making an exception. Team One has already been found in contradiction of the Priority of Life code. To make it worse however, one of the officers involved in the previous contradiction is involved in this case, with another officer that has only been in this job for less than year."

I wanted to say something, but I stopped myself, and instead, covered my face in my palm.

"Ashamed?" Larry asked.

"No...it's just that," I replied, "It's been a tough year for me. Stepping up into this job, it was great, but I wasn't without its difficulties. Then my daughter was kidnapped and held hostage- all because of my past in law enforcement. After that, my wife left me- got divorced. It's just nice to have someone I can talk to, who cares- who knows what I'm going through."

"You never sought counselling?" Toft asked.

"She was an idiot." I muttered.

I noted that Toft was writing something else down.

"And Ms. Callihan- did you learn nothing from your previous issue when you were involved with Constable Sam Braddock?"

Jules replied, "Sam was- is a great guy. But we drifted apart- I think it was because he never really connected with me, and that Sam was in it for his own selfish reasons."

"Do you hate Mr. Braddock?" Toft asked.

"No, I don't."

"What about Mr. May?"

Jules looked across the table to me.

"I love him." She replied, "He cares about me. He'll crawl into bed with only the intention of being with me as I fall asleep. That's what every girl wants."

"Where do we go from here?" Greg asked.

"The immediate suspension of both officers. The Police Advisory Board will follow up with a closed door hearing." Toft explained.

"With what result?"

"I am going to suggest, from team moral standpoint, that both officers be dishonourably discharged from SRU service, with a written record of infraction on their police record."

This time, I buried my head into both my palms.

_Dammit!_

"Dr. Toft." I interrupted, "What if I stepped down? Could Jules stay with Team One?"

He examined me like I was some sort of foreign bacteria. "You really do love her?"

"I do."

There was a moment of silence, as Toft thought to himself.

"I will allow that, on the condition that Jules undergo a re-qualifying psychological exam, and that she will agree that if she is found in contradiction of SRU Policies again, she will be terminated from the Toronto Police Service."

Jules smiled at me, as I smiled back. "Are we done here?" I asked.

"Yes." Toft replied.

I stood up and left as I said, "I have something to do."

* * *

><p>I got home later in the afternoon.<p>

"Kris- where have you been?" Jules asked, as she sat on the living room couch.

I walked in, and sat beside her, as I clasped her hands tight. "I got another job."

"Where?"

"With the service."

Jules looked at me with a face of confusion, and fear.

"I thought you can't…"

"Down in Unit 52. I contacted my old boss, and asked if he needed an officer, and I'm starting effective immediately as Unit 52's Staff Sergeant."

Jules smiled even bigger, as she kissed me.

"And I have some even bigger news," I said, as I grabbed a small item out of my pocket, and bent down to one knee, "Julianna Callihan. I've known you for seven months, eight days, and we've been together for a month- but I can't stop thinking about you. I want to be with you forever. Will you marry me?"

Jules looked at me in bewilderment.

"Yes, you idiot!" she said, "Yes, I'll marry you!"


	20. Time For Change

I sat in my car- waiting.

_Waiting for what?_

My SRU keycard is valid for another 3 hours. I have until then to clear out my locker.

I got out of the car, and walked towards the door, and swiped my card. Still letting me in.

_Look around- no one around. Good. I'll get my stuff, and get out..._

"Perra?" came a voice.

_Dammit- why can't anything go as planned?_

I turned around to greet the voice. It was Kiera.

"Hey- long time no see." I replied.

"Yeah, well, I took some vacation, and since then, I've been on the swing shift."

"Ahh." I awkwardly replied.

She looked at me for a moment, as if expecting something.

"So- you're done, right?"

"Yeah. Stepped down.

Kiera started walking away, but then turned towards me. "Good for you."

After that encounter, I quickly dashed into the locker room, where I opened my locker, and started to put my stuff into the bags that they originally came in.

"Howdy."

_Great. Who is this._

I turned around. Spike.

"Hey Spike."

"Hey man." Spike said, as he took a seat in front of my locker,, "I'm gonna miss you."

"I'll miss you too Spike."

I put a few more things into my bag. "You love her, don't you?" Spike asked.

"Yeah, I do. Actually- I proposed last night."

Spike gave me a big smile, as he leaped up into a standing position. "And?"

"We're getting married."

"Alright!" Spike yelled after whooping very loudly.

Then the door opened.

_Oh- what fresh hell is this?_

"Spike- lets keep it down, ok?" Greg said, as he walked over to his locker. "Perra."

"Boss." I said, without thinking.

Greg turned to face me.

"Perra- I'm not your Sargent anymore. And from what I hear- you're a Sargent of your own rank as well."

Spike looked at Greg, then did a double take back at me. "Seriously? Dude- that's awesome! That's the 2nd best news I've heard today."

"2nd?" Greg asked.

"You didn't tell him?" Spike asked.

I laughed, "Why don't you?"

"Ok- boss," Spike started, "You know this guy right here?" he said, as he shook my shoulders.

Greg nodded.

"You know the girl he's been...you know..."

"Spike!" I said, stopping him before getting too far.

"Yes, Spike, I know that Jules and Perra are involved." Greg replied, as he looked up at me, and shook my hand. "No hard feelings?"

"Yeah. No hard feelings." I replied.

"Well, they're getting married!" Spike blurted out.

Parker smiled back at me. "Well, congratulations."

"Thanks." I said, as I packed up the rest of my stuff, "Here."

I passed my keycard to Greg.

"Thanks."

* * *

><p>I walked out of the locker room, and towards the dispatcher's desk. <em>I have to say goodbye to Winnie.<em>

I looked past the desk, and into the gym. In the gym, Ed and Sam were working out. At separate times, I saw them both look right at me, but neither of them made any hint of coming towards me.

"Hey Winnie." I said.

"Hey." she replied. "See you around?"

I nodded. "Yeah- you might hear my name on the radio."


	21. Memories

**A/N: I've wanted to do a chapter like this for a while, but I could never find the appropriate spot to put it. It's definitely something different. On the flipside, to start and finish this chapter I really had to go back and re-read at least 75% of all my content, including a bunch of first drafts I've written. That being said I have to apologize for my fans who've had to put up with one too many grammatical mistakes, and in some cases, improper English.**

**Thank god I don't write for a living- I'd need an editor!**

* * *

><p>I sat out on the front patio of Jules' home.<p>

"Call it _our _home" Jules told me yesterday.

_Getting married, again. Didn't see that one coming, did you Kris? Nope._

It's starting to drizzle rain a bit, but it is not really bothering me. The guy across the street, bringing his lawnmower in from cutting his grass, some kids pedaling faster on their bikes to get home faster; and a cat darting underneath my police car sitting in the driveway.

_That's right- my own police car. Never thought that would ever happen._

Jules and Megan went out. Wouldn't tell me where they were going. As they were getting in Jules' Jeep, I joked, "Don't make me put out an APB on your Jeep."

Then Jules had given me one of the biggest smiles I've ever seen.

_Yeah, definitely did not expect this. Hell, where was I a year ago?_

_Oh yeah, trying out for an SRU position._

* * *

><p><em>Everybody in SRU loved me- respected me too. Didn't treat me like a fresh greenhorn who was over his head, but just respected me.<em>

_Ha- I even remember Eddie testing me on hand to hand combat. It wasn't easy to overtake that muscled mammoth, and I don't think I really did. Something makes me think he just kinda gave up after a good five minutes._

I looked down at my cellphone. I scrolled down my contact list, and landed on Ed's Cell.

_Should I call, and apologize? Apologize for what? For lying? To be honest, I don't even think I feel sorry about lying to Ed._

_Would any of this have happened if I was still married? Probably not._

_A year ago- everything was fine. Sure Haley had to put up with me staying at the gym for most of the day, then coming home- not eating anything she had made for supper, but some type of protein shake. I think she hated that._

_Then I'd either help Megan with some homework, or take care of Matthew for a while so Haley could clean up after supper. Why did I never help her with any of the daily chores? Well, Haley couldn't have ever bitched about it because while her failing freelance architecture was getting nowhere, I was supporting the entire family. Working my ass off, training for a new job- damn it was exhausting._

I looked down at my phone again. The screen had timed out, so it went black. I thought about things, and then put it back in my pocket.

_When I got the job at SRU- that was exciting. When I told Haley, she seemed so happy for me, but I could tell she was secretly mad at me. Having a husband who is over-shadowing you with his career- must be intimidating. But I don't think that was everything. I remember having lengthy discussions about keeping our work lives separate. Oh right- like she was one to talk. The woman who would answer phone calls from potential clients in the middle of a meal, letting her current clients walk all over her- take advantage of her, and then come home and bitch about it. Did she ever see me come home and talk about the stresses of my job? Did I ever come home and tell her that I had orphaned a 6-month old baby by having to shoot her mother?_

_No, I didn't because that's not what a husband and wife should be talking about. They should talk about happy things._

_Like the time I had saved a baby's life when a homeless guy kidnapped her because he was mentally instable. I told her about that, but she seemed happy to hear those kind of things._

_Maybe she really didn't like me talking about my job at all. Maybe it reminded her of the difficulties I faced everyday as a police officer, in what would most likely be the most traumatic or dramatic moments of a person's life._

* * *

><p><em>And then I got shot. In the line of duty, as an officer of Team One of the Strategic Response Unit; even when I was being airlifted to the hospital for immediate care, did I think of my wife? I don't think I did. Does that make me a bad person? That in my time of pain and suffering, my mind didn't try to revert to a place of comfort? No- it didn't. My trained mind kept my focus on the fact that I had a near half inch hole in my shoulder.<em>

_Haley got mad at me because of that. Was it my fault that that idiot decided to shoot me? Nope, and because of that little 'decision' of his, he's spending another 4 years in prison for all of the charges laid against him._

_Since then, all I remember was fights. Fights, fights, and even more damn fights. It was like every second of everyday was filled with anger at me, at my job, heck, at times; at the kids._

_Am I a bad person? She started each fight- did I, at any time, try to stop the fight before it escalated? No, I don't ever remember doing that._

_And then Megan was kidnapped. Held hostage and had a gun to her head- crying for her father, with a man threatening to rape her. What an idiot- did that Micheal Deary guy ever think he would get away with something like that? Kidnapping and holding hostage, the daughter of a Strategic Response Unit officer, and then threatening to kill not only Megan, but me as well in a recorded video._

_Yeah, Micheal Deary. That name will stay with me forever, as I'm sure it'll stay with Megan. God- I hope it doesn't stay with her as it stays with me._

_That was the tipping point. My wife of 16 years- girlfriend of 7 years previous gone. Done like yesterday's leftovers._

_Should I have reconciled with Haley? Attempted to be a better husband? I wasn't the one who wanted the divorce- she did._

_I wonder how she's doing?_

I pulled my phone out of my pocket. Went into my contacts and scrolled down. Still listed as 'Home'- Haley's home phone number.

_Am I stopping myself from moving on by keeping this? Should I be talking to someone about this?_

_Can't talk to Jules about it. Heck- how would a conversation like that go? 'Hey, honey do you mind me talking about my ex-wife?'. Yeah, that'd go over well. Or would it?_

_No- I can't talk to Jules about it. Period. Who? The Police Services therapist- the one the SRU Commander ordered me to see during the process of my divorce? Yeah, that one. The one I told off- that idiot._

_Who then? My best buddy- Fire Officer Derek Mare? When was the last time I saw him? Oh right, a few weeks ago, when SRU had to borrow the fire hall's ladder to talk down a suicidal teenager. Who then? Chantal Sewell- the emergency room nurse that used to be one of the security officers that I supervised?No- although, she might be able to give me something for the lingering pain in my shoulder._

_Can't even talk to my family. My mom can't remember anything past a half an hour ago. Why does she continue to suffer? Why can't she go in peace? And my dad- he won't talk to me until I come home to the small town where I grew up. Tells me 'to get out of the big city'. Get real dad- I've been living in big cities since me and Haley left a week after graduation._

_There's always my sister. Well- technically not my sister, my adopted sister. Lauren. God bless her- she was 8 years old when both of her parents died in the car crash. But I haven't seen her in forever. Can't really show up and say 'Hey- I got divorced a month ago, and I need to talk to you about it, although I haven't seen you or your daughter for three years.'_

_Yeah, Ella. Lauren's daughter. The result of a one-night stand that she's regretted for years. And to make it worse- I haven't seen Ella since the baptism. She's my god-daughter, and niece, and I haven't seen her for three years. I wouldn't know what she looked like if it wasn't for the picture that Lauren gave Ed when Ella was taken at gunpoint by a meth addict who was going to try to sell her for drugs. How stupid can people get?_

_Apparently, very stupid._

* * *

><p>I looked down to my watch. It was getting late, so I stepped into the house and sat on the couch.<p>

_Not much to do..._

Then my phone made the sound of a police siren and vibrated at the same time.

"Staff Sargent Kristopher Perrasmith." I answered, "What do you mean? Yeah, fine. Where is it? Ok, yeah, I'm not too far, I'll get changed and be there ASAP."

_Time for change. Time to make new memories._


	22. Bigger Things

**A/N: I'm going to take a moment here and discuss the time continuum. It's not scientific, or even remotely related to Star Trek, so you should be able to follow.**

**This fall will mark the 5****th**** (and sadly, final) season of Flashpoint. This means by estimation, we can assume that the first season of Flashpoint took place in the year 2****007. Following? -**** because now I'm going to get technical. Wordy left Team One in the 4****th**** Season, however, if one would watch the episodes from season one to season four, we see the environments change seasons (as in fall, winter, spring, summer) approximately 3 times. **

**By this estimation, we can assume that Wordy left Team One in 2010.**

**Now, if you back-track back to chapter 19 "Shattered" you'll notice that our 'hero' Perra mentions that he's known Jules for seven months, eight days. Add this to what we know and we can assume that currently in **_**A New Beginning **_**we're in early July 2010.**

**Still following? Good, because here's the kicker, look down. '2 Years Later'. Where would that bring us- by gosh! July 2012! **

**Was this planned like this? Yes, because I wanted to bring the story into our current year, and approximately in the same season. Why? Because it becomes MUCH easier to write summer chapters in the summer than it is to write winter chapters in the summer. Don't blame me, blame my weak willed mind.**

**If you have any questions, either personally message me, or leave a review with your questions, and I'll be more than happy to reply.**

* * *

><p>2 YEARS LATER…<p>

I handed the speeding ticket to the driver.

"Ok," I explained, "This ticket is for $208. You can either pay for this in person at the 52nd Toronto Police Service detachment at the address below, or you can pay online at the website listed on the ticket. If you wish to contest this ticket in court, I've stamped here the next Moving Violations Procedural Court date, which is at the courthouse on Kingston Road. Do you understand?"

The male driver looked back up at me. "What's your name?"

"Staff Sargent Kristopher Perrasmith." I replied.

"If I take this to court, will you be there?"

"You bet I will."

I walked back to my cruiser as the driver took off. As I got in, I grabbed the radio.

"Dispatch, SS Perra completed 10-22T. SS Perra back in action."

"10-4 SS Perra." Came the dispatcher, "Reports of persons in distress at Lourneville apartments. Do you action?"

"10-4 dispatch, SS Perra will action your distressed persons."

* * *

><p>I arrived at the Lourneville apartments. I approached the security guard at the door.<p>

"Distressed persons?" I asked.

"Yeah, we got a blue button alarm from apartment 313." The guard responded.

"Did you respond?"

"No- we don't respond to blue buttons, we let you guys do that."

The guard led me into the security office, as I started taking notes on my notepad. "How do you know that it's persons in distress?"

"I opened the room mic."

"These rooms are mic'd?"

"Yeah, it's a senior's apartment building, it's a security feature."

"Do those mics go the other way?" I asked.

"You bet they do." The security guard responded, as he invited me into the desk chair, "Press this when you're ready."

I pressed the button. "My name is Kristopher Perrasmith and I'm with the 52nd Division of the Toronto Police Force. I understand there may be people in trouble in there- mind giving me your names and exactly what is wrong?"

The speaker on the computer went silent for a moment, but then a loud voice could be heard.

"I'm armed, and I got three hostages. If you don't get me what I want in 15 minutes, I'll kill the first one."

I leaned back in my chair, and got up, and engaged the radio on my epaulette. "Dispatch, persons in distress at Lourneville apartments are now hostages to unknown armed person. Contact SRU immediately and send additional 52nd officers immediately. I repeat, contact SRU immediately."

* * *

><p>Jules leaned back, as she rested her back on the cool cement bricked wall. "Oh, that feels good."<p>

"Boss," Spike said, as he took another slurp of water from his water bottle, "When are they coming to look at the AC?"

Ed, Greg and Sam were all stripped down to their shirts and boxers as they sat across from Spike and Jules.

"Sometime tomorrow Spike." Greg replied, "But until then, we take things easy, ok?"

"I can't wait until I get home." Jules thought out loud, "Grab a beer and jump in the pool. Not necessarily in that order."

"Can I come over?" Spike asked with wide, puppy dog eyes.

"Sure- if you don't mind Megan doing laps in the pool." Jules responded.

"How's the step-daughter doing?" Ed asked, "She applied to Humber, right?"

"Yeah, she got in."

"Team One- hot call!" Winnie yelled from the desk.

Everybody got up and groaned. "How about if there's no critical incident," Jules proposed, "We all come over to my place for a pool party tonight?"

That seemed to brighten the minds of everyone on the team, as they suited up.

As Greg got into the SUV with Ed, Greg replied to Winnie over the radio, "Winnie- talk to me."

"Hostages taken by unknown armed subject at Lourneville apartments."

* * *

><p>I stayed in the security office, as I continued taking notes, as directing my officers through the radio to enforce a tight perimeter and to cover all entrances and exits.<p>

The guard looked at the security cameras. "SRU is here."

"10-4." I responded, as I continued taking notes, as the guard left to let the SRU team in, since he had locked down the building.

"We need floor plans, access to CCTV and keycards." Came a voice from the hallway as they came closer.

"Ok," the security guard replied, "It's all in here."

The guard came in.

"Who was the first officer on scene?" came the voice again.

"He's in here."

Then the SRU Team came in. The SRU team I used to be on.

"Staff Sargent Perrasmith." I said to Eddie, and Parker, as if I was introducing myself for the first time.

"You got the perimeter locked up?" Ed asked.

"You bet."

"Officers on doors and exits?"

"Yes sir."

"Ok," Ed said, as Spike sat down and worked at the computers, "You can go."

"Yeah, I'm not going anywhere." I responded.

Ed looked at me. "No, you can go. We don't need you here anymore."

"I'm sorry- what was that _Officer_ Lane?" I asked.

"Pulling rank?" Ed said, "Why don't we talk in the hall? Spike- on intel, Sam, Jules, start working on tac plans."

Me and Ed left the office, as Sam and Jules entered. As Jules passed me, I gave her a non-descript wink.

Once in the hallway, Ed took his headset, motioning that whatever would be said would be off record.

"Still mad at me?" I asked.

"Why would I be mad at you?" Ed asked, "You married the person you love. You're both better because of it."

"You mean that?"

"Of course I do."

"Still, " I said, "This is still my call. My call, my case."

Ed nodded. "Tell Spike to get you wired up for a headset. You can assist with intel."

* * *

><p>"Ok Team," Greg started over the radio, as Ed, Sam and Jules made their way up to the third floor, "CCTV shows a younger male pointing a firearm at three elderly persons- two males and a female, and forcing them into room 313. I'm making contact- pay attention."<p>

Spike routed the call into the room.

"Hello," Greg said into the microphone, "My name is Sargent Greg Parker and I'm with the Police Strategic Response Unit. I want to get everyone in there out safely."

"You can get me what I want." The suspect said, "I want some oxytocin- now!"

"I'll pass that onto my superiors, but I can't promise you anything. They may be more willing to your demands if you give me hostage."

"No- no one leaves until I get forty pills of oxy!"

"Spike, we're at 313. What do we got?" Ed asked.

"No usable vents, ducts or adjoining rooms. You're going to have to break down the door, and use the CS gas."

"10-4." Ed responded, "Sam- get eyes in under the door. Let's locate our victims before we bust down the door."

I looked over the tenant records on another computer beside Spike, "Ed," I replied over the radio, "You can't use the CS gas. The tenant in that room uses an oxygen mask, and if the ID that the security guard provided is correct, one of the other victims has a pacemaker."

"Alright- flashbang then." Ed said, as he adjusted the tactical plan.

"No good. The flashbang might explode the oxygen tank. No gas, no explosives. You need to weaken or neutralize the shooter before or as you enter the room."

"Right out of the CQB textbook Perra- good job." Ed said, "What else?"

I looked over to Spike. "Slug gun?" I whispered.

"That thing doesn't shoot straight."

"It shoots on a curve?" I joked.

Spike silently laughed, "Ed- use the slug gun. I'll bring it up, Perra will take over with intel."

"I'm going to try to call in again." Greg said, as he took Spike's seat and engaged the room's intercom.

"Hi, this is Sargent Greg Parker again."

"You got what I want, or what?"

I whispered over to Greg, "Justin Blias- spent a night in the drunk tank last week cleaning up after a few too many drugs. Blood test proved that he took oxy, but the cops that picked him up didn't find any on him, so they had to let him go."

"You know what, Justin, I'm ready to give you what you want, but I need something to show good faith. Why don't you tell me how the people are doing in there?"

"They're fine. And they'll be fine if you give me the oxy in 3 minutes. Or I'll kill the first one."

Greg turned off the intercom. "Thoughts?" he asked me.

"Guy's smart. Hold up people in a senior's apartment complex. Someone is bound to have oxytocin, right? Problem is- the persons he held up didn't have any, and things went south, so he took hostages, and he is demanding the drugs. Now, he hasn't gone without a fix for a while, isn't thinking straight, and therefore he doesn't know that as soon as he pulls the trigger on that gun, he'll take himself and three hostages to the morgue."

"Yeah." Greg nodded, "Eddie? You ready to go in?"

"Slug gun is here." Ed said, "Sam on the door ram, Jules behind with less lethal, and Spike staying back with lethal."

"No, no lethal. He's just a drug addict with a problem. Let's remember: no critical incidents, right?"

"10-4 boss." Ed said, "Spike- get ready on the taser."

* * *

><p>Jules readied her gun, which was armed with less-lethal rubber bullets. Sam busted down the weak framed wood door with one good swing with the door ram. Ed went in the room first, and started yelling at the suspect.<p>

She looked over at the suspect quickly, and realized that he had dropped the weapon, just as Ed was slapping on a pair of handcuffs.

Spike and Jules went to the aid of the older men and the woman. They helped them out into the hallway.

_No critical incidents. _Jules thought to herself with a smile.

* * *

><p>"Good call Team One." Ed said, as Jules, Spike, Greg and Sam leaned in and clinked their beer bottles with Ed's, "And Staff Sargent Perrasmith!"<p>

I looked over to the side of the pool, where the team was hanging out, and I raised my beer up high and took a quick swig. After swallowing, I put the beer down at the patio table and continued talking to Megan.

"So?" I asked.

"Can I go know dad?" Megan asked, "I need to get to my workout."

I smiled. _Megan was working out a lot lately…_

"You get in?" I asked.

"Yeah," Megan started, "I got accepted by St. Lawrence, Algonquin, Durham and UOG."

"You applied to University of Guelph?"

"Yeah, why?" Megan asked.

"I didn't know you did. What about Humber?"

Megan gave me a smile, as she nodded.

"Good for you." I said, "Yeah, you better get to your workout- you'll need it to keep up with the other police recruits at Humber."

Megan got up suddenly and dove into the pool, in a less than elegant dive.

"Dives like a duck." Sam said, as he took a seat beside me, "Swims like a…"

"Yeah, she's a good swimmer Sam." I replied, "What's new? How's your family?"

"Same old, same old. My sister's in town, looking for an apartment. My mom- she wants to retire to Vancouver, but my dad wants to get a few more tours in before he retires."

"Sounds like a committed man."

"So will I." Sam said.

"What?"

"Yeah, I'm thinking of leaving the force. Dad told me there's a fireteam in need of a Commander in Afghanistan."

"You thinking of going?" I asked.

"Yeah. I mean, SRU is great, but I'll never get anything more out of it."

"Hey, you never know, " I said optimistically, "A Team Leader position may come up on another team, or Sargent."

"Yeah, I suppose I can wait and see." Sam said, as he got up and removed his shirt, "You coming in the pool?"

I pointed to a thick folder on the table, "Paperwork."

"The joys of a Sargent?" Sam asked.

"I don't mind." I replied.


	23. Pretty on The Outside

**A/N: Just a quick note about this chapter. For starters, it's loosely based around the song from **_**Bullet For My Valentine **_**of the same name as the chapter. As well, this chapter has to be one of the easiest chapters I've written to date. That probably has something to do with the life experiences I have that go along with this subject matter.**

* * *

><p>"I'll do it! Get away!"<p>

"No, you're not going to." Jules responded to the frightened, suicidal teenager. She looked back to Ed and Spike, who stood ready to protect not only themselves, but Jules as well, in case the teenager got violent. "She's not going to do it."

* * *

><p>BEEP! BEEP!<p>

_Again, seriously?_

Like clockwork, I pulled out of my parked spot, turned on the sirens and lights, and turned off the speed radar unit. Within seconds, the target vehicle pulled over to the side of the road, and I pulled my cruiser over as well, right behind theirs.

I picked up the radio, "Dispatch, SS Perrasmith on a 10-22T westward on Eglin. Target is a red Toyota, marker Alpha Romeo Tango Papa Four Sixteener."

"10-4, SS Perrasmith."

I got out of the vehicle and I approached the driver's side.

"Good day sir, how are you?" I asked.

"I'd be doing much better, if I wasn't here."

"What exactly do you mean by that sir? Are you having suicidal thoughts?"

"No, I mean, here, pulled over."

"Ok sir. Do you know why I pulled you over?"

"I was speeding."

"That's right sir. Do you know how fast you were going?"

"Eighty kilometers an hour in a fifty zone."

I responded, "Well, to be exact, you were doing 82 kilometers an hour. Any weapons, knives, needles, or any sharp objects in the vehicle that could inflict harm on me or another human being?"

"No."

"Ok. License, registration and proof of insurance please."

He handed me the documents. I quickly looked over them and replied to him before I started walking back to the cruiser, "Shouldn't be long sir."

After getting back, I placed all three documents up against the laptop, and started to run the insurance validity first, since I knew that would take the longest. After that, I picked up the radio.

"Dispatch, this is SS Perrasmith, I need all currents and priors on a David Anderson, of 1352 Prescott Drive, of Rockland, Ontario."

"10-4" the female dispatcher responded.

Then the insurance check finished. _Nothing- good. _

I then closed the insurance searcher and opened up the Ministry of Transportation search of database screen.

As soon as I clicked in the last digit of the driver's license, and pressed enter, the radio crackled to life.

"Attention SS Perrasmith." The dispatcher called out.

"On standby dispatch," came my response, "Results?"

"No currents on David Love Anderson of Rockland, Ontario. Priors of attempted assault and attempted sexual assault."

"10-4 dispatch. Those on pickup or within 5?"

"Within 5, SS Perrasmith."

"Pardoned?"

"Negative. No check in with parole officer this week."

"10-4 dispatch. Permission to detain?"

"Negative, SS Perrasmith. Red flagged- will have Correctional Services look at record."

"10-4" I responded, as I finished printing off the speeding ticket.

I got out and again, approached the vehicle.

"Mr. Anderson." I said, as I passed him back his documents, "This is a speeding ticket for $78. You can pay this in person or online. If you want to pay in person, you can do so at the 52nd Toronto Police Service detachment at the address on the ticket. If you want to take this to court, it's written on the ticket when you can take this to the Moving Violations Procedural Court. That'll be at the courthouse on Kingston Road. I also understand that you're on parole, but you haven't checked in with your parole officer this week."

"Well, I was…" he started.

"Let me finish." I said, "I'll have to inform you that your file has been flagged and the Correctional Services of Canada is going to look into file to see if you should go back to prison. Do you understand?"

"Yes, but, I was out of town to visit my daughter in Hamilton."

"You should have made arrangements with your parole officer then." I replied, "Other than that, have a great day."

* * *

><p>"Team one, hot call!", Winnie yelled over the loudspeaker as Team One scrambled to get ready, "Woman called the police when she found her daughter in her room with a knife. She had already slashed her arms and when her mother found her, she threatened to kill herself."<p>

Once the team got to the call, everyone assembled behind one of the SUVs.

"Where's Sam?" Jules asked.

"He quit SRU." Greg said, "Jules, I want you to take this one, ok?"

"Why'd he quit?" Spike asked.

"Can we get some focus here people?" Ed bluntly replied, "You were saying?"

"I'll be in your ear the entire time, if you need me Jules. You've done this before, you can do it again."

"Are we going tactical on this one?" Ed asked.

"Yeah, Ed," Greg said, "You and Spike cover Jules. She may try to use that knife on Jules."

"Scorpio?" Eddie asked, as he passed a personal defense weapon to Spike.

"No. Less-lethal. We don't want an estranged teenager in our crosshairs."

"Copy that."

Ed and Spike lead the way, as Jules travelled behind them. As they approached the door, an older, rotund woman opened the door, "I don't know what to do, I just panicked."

"It's ok." Ed said, as they stopped, "You can go out, and talk to our Sarge. He'll need as much information as you can give him."

"Just make sure she's ok." She said, as she started out the door, and Ed, Spike and Jules continued down the hall, "She's a good kid!"

* * *

><p>"Dispatch, SS Perrasmith out for lunch."<p>

"10-4"

"Out for lunch?"

I looked out my driver's window, and into the Guns and Gangs cruiser, where Officer Kevin Wordsworth sat.

"Yeah," I said, "I have a salad in my bag that Jules made."

"Having the wife make your lunch, gotta love it, right?"

I laughed, "Main reason why I got married."

"How you are doing, though?" Wordy asked me.

"I'm good, why?"

"Just asking, just asking."

Then the radio started up, "SS Perrasmith, please contact dispatch immediately."

I sighed heavily, as Kevin laughed, and I grabbed the radio.

"This is SS Perrasmith, go ahead dispatch."

"52nd Bylaw Constable Mason requiring immediate assistance."

"10-4, what's the subject?"

"Angry suspect concerning noise complaint ticket, demanding to speak to higher authority."

"10-4, what's the 20?" I said, as I put the car into gear, "See you later?" I asked Wordy.

"I'll be here all day." He said, as he peered through a small set of binoculars.

Once I got to the call, I got out and saw one of the officers that I supervise in the 52nd Division.

"Officer Sarah Mason. How are you?"

"I'm good Sarge." She said, "Sir, this is 52nd Division's Staff Sargent Kristopher Perrasmith."

"Should I bow?" asked the early twenties man, "Look, I have no clue why I got this ticket, so I don't understand why I should pay it."

"Can I see the ticket sir?" I asked.

"Be my guest." He said, as he handed me the ticket.

I looked it over quickly.

"So what you're telling me," I said, "You have no clue as to why there is a ticket to your home, for last Thursday, at 2:30 in the morning for excessive noise?"

"Yes! That's what I've been telling this.."

"Watch it." I demanded of him, "You want to continue that sentence?"

He looked at me shyly, "No."

"Ok, you know what, I can get some extra officers down here, and they can canvass this entire neighborhood, asking all of your neighbors if they heard excessive noise coming from your home last Thursday at 2:30 in the morning. You want me to do that?"

He looked at me again, then at the ticket, "Know what- I'll just pay it."

"You sure sir?" I asked, "Because it won't take me long to get four extra officers here to ask everybody here."

"No, its fine." He said, as he walked back inside his house.

I walked back to the cruisers with Officer Mason. "See what I did there?" I asked.

"What did you do?" she asked.

"I was firm with him, I didn't let him talk excessively. Once people get talking, they get a lot like a steamroller. They just keep going, and they build up steam, and aggression."

"Ok."

"Anything else?" I asked.

"I can tell you did something else, Sarge, but I don't know what it is."

"It's ok, I don't mind," I said, I could see the confidence of one of the division's newest bylaw officer draw out of her, "You saw that I was more than willing to prove his innocence, right?"

"Yeah, that's one thing I didn't get- why'd you do that?"

"Because, if he truly was innocent, it would have proved it."

She replied, "But I knew he did it, I was the once who wrote up the ticket. That's why he contacted 52nd and they dispatched me here."

"I know that." I said, "I looked at the ticket. By not accepting my offer of innocence however, he has now proved himself guilty of the offense by omission."

"Oh, I get it." She said. "Thanks."

"No problem," I said, "See you back at the station tonight, right?"

"You bet."

* * *

><p>As Jules followed Ed and Spike down the hall, she noticed some decorative artificial azaleas hanging on the wall.<p>

_Azaleas, my favorite flower. _She thought. _Yeah, and they screwed Kris up pretty good on our wedding day. Damn allergies. And the toast that his best man made- Derek…Mare, yeah, that's it. Yeah, he mentioned the azaleas in his toast. It was about a flower that grew in Kris' backyard as he was growing up. His mom told him that once he found the girl he was going to__ marry, he could give her__ those azaleas. He told me he never did that at his ex-wife's wedding, because it bothered__his allergies so much. That must__ means he really does love me…_

"Ok, Jules, we're here." Ed muttered to Jules.

Jules knocked on the teenager's room door.

"Jules, her name is Jade." Greg told her over the radio.

_Jade? Jade was the name of Kris' cousin who wanted to be part of the wedding. God- she was such an idiot- why the heck would I choose her- a woman I don't know to be my maid of honor? Then again, I don't have too many female friends, since I work with men._

"Jade- my name is Jules, and I'm with the Police Strategic Response Unit. I want to help you. From what I understand- you're bleeding right? Do you want an EMT?"

"Go away!"

"I'm sorry, Jade, I can't do that. Can I open the door, so we can talk better?"

No reply came, so Jules nodded to Ed and Spike as they opened the door, and they entered.

Jules looked at the disgusting sight of several slashing wounds across the lower arms of the girl, all of which were bleeding bright red blood.

"Jade- you don't look too, good, can I get someone to help you?"

"Don't come any closer, or I'll do it!"

"Ok, Jade, ok. These guys are with me, ok? This guy's Ed, and this is Micheangelo- you can call him Spike, ok? They won't do anything until I tell them, ok?"

"Jules-" Parker said over the radio, "She depressed, might even might have psycho-symptoms of mental depression. Tread carefully."

Jules looked around the room quickly. Outside the window, she could barely see the steeple of Saint Matthew's Church, where she got married.

_The church was decorated amazingly. I don't think I thanked Kris' sister, well not really his sister, Lauren enough. It was awesome that she was an interior decorator and that she wanted do decorate the church for nothing._

"_Please Jules," she said, "It's the least I can do."_

"_C'mon," Jules had begged, "I know that it's probably a hassle.."_

"_For my brother, please. He's helped me so much, I have to give back. Hell, I can tell he was devastated when that bitch of an ex-wife left him. I'm just so happy to see him happy, you know?"_

"Ok- I think I got a grip on things here Jules," Greg said, "Her mom says that she's been really into this guy at school, and that they've been flirting all summer. Well, Jade saw this gentleman at the park the other day with another girl."

"Jade- why don't you tell me why I'm here?" Jules asked.

"Because my mom called you!"

Jules whispered into the radio, "Boss? She's giving me nothing, seems like she might be angry at the world or something."

"That might be the case Jules- she's a fifteen year old girl who's had a crush on a boy for a really long time, and now she thinks that her dream is crushed. Try to connect with her."

"How? She's not giving me anything to react to. She's just an angry kid."

"Ok Jules, here's a question- how did you bond with your step daughter, Megan?" Greg asked, trying to get Jules to think about how to connect to a younger woman.

So Jules started thinking. _How did we connect? It just sort of seemed natural. She moved in with her dad, we hung out a bit. Oh, then I found out that she wanted to be a cop, we had a common interest._

Again, Jules looked around the room, this time, trying to take everything in.

"Don't come any closer!" Jade yelled.

"I am not going to Jade." Jules said, as she pointed to a guitar on a guitar stand, with several pieces of paper around it, with music notes all over them, "When I was your age, I had a guitar too. I was never good at it though, although it looks like you're writing your own songs right?"

"Yeah," Jade wept, "They're all about him."

"About your boyfriend?" Jules asked.

Jade looked up to Jules.

"He doesn't love me- no one loves me!"

Then she put the blade of the knife up against her throat, "What's the point of living if no one loves me?"

"You know what Jade," Jules replied, "My boss has been talking to your mom, and she loves you. He's talking to your friends, and they love you for who you are- an independent hard-rock girl, right?"

"We want to start a band…"

"And you know, what, you still can- you can start your band, get signed to a label and tour the world!"

"What's the point?" she cried, "I wanted him to see me play!"

Jade started to dig the knife into the skin of her throat.

"Jules-" Ed whispered, "Hard reality?"

"It might be the only way." She whispered back, "Jade- do you know what's going to happen if you cut your throat? You'll tear up your muscle tendons, and cut your vocal chords. You'll pass out from the major loss of blood. Then you'll wake up in a hospital bed, and you won't be able to talk. You won't be able to sing."

"I just want to make this stop!"

"Make what stop Jade? I want to help you, please let me help you. Whatever you are feeling, we can make you feel better."

"The only thing that'll make me feel better is if I die!"

* * *

><p>I finished up my patrols for the day, and ended up back at the station. As soon as I walked in, the dispatcher started to hand me papers and files.<p>

"You need to sign this. Go over that file, I think Danny has everything out of order. Jackie wants to see you in HR, and a reporter called for you from the Lethbridge Herald."

"Lethbridge Herald?" I asked, as I took the files, "What did they want?"

"They wanted an outside opinion, apart from the Lethbridge Police Force if TIED units really are the future of traffic policing."

"And they contacted me because?"

"Because 52nd Division is the best traffic policing unit in the TPS."

"Damn straight," I said with a smile, "Is Jackie with anyone right now?"

"No, go right in."

I grabbed all the papers and files, and walked down the hallway. As I approached one door, I scanned my keycard at the door module, which unlocked the door for me. Once inside, I continued walking down the hall, and turned to the left a few yards down and into the Human Resources office.

"Jackie Berthka." I said with a smile, as I sat down.

"Sargent." She said, as she passed me a large number of folders, "New recruits. Pick what you like."

"Budgeted?" I asked.

"Four."

"How many can I have?"

"Two."

"Always great to talk to you Jackie."

I continued down the hall, and got to my office. I unclipped my key ring from my belt and unlocked the door.

Once inside, I halfways threw and placed the files and papers on my desk, as I dislodged my cell-phone from its cradle on my best and hit a speed-dial option.

"Winnie, hi, this is Sargent Perrasmith down in 52nd." I said to the SRU dispatcher.

"Hey, what can I get for you?" she replied.

"Is Jules there? I know she doesn't carry her cell on her anymore."

"No, Team One is out on a call."

"Anyway of getting a message to her?" I asked.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Tell her that Kevin Wordsworth has a lead on the DiCamilo case and that I love her."

"Copy that."

* * *

><p>Greg finished taking some notes, as Winnie came over the radio, "Greg- can I transmit directly to Jules?"<p>

"Negative Winnie, she's in the middle of a suicide intervention. Is this important?"

"Half of it is- Perra called up and said that Guns and Gangs have a lead on the DiCamilo case, and that he loves her."

"I'll text her on the PDA." Greg thought out loud, hoping that Jules had the PDA on vibrate.

* * *

><p>"Why is it that you'll only feel better if you die, Jade? Why is that?" Jules asked, "Because if you do that, you'll make a lot of people sad, maybe even angry that you died on them. How would your friends feel if they had to watch you die? How would your mom feel?"<p>

Then Jules' PDA made a sound, indicating she had a message on it.

"Jules…" Spike said, "Vibrate."

She looked down at it. The indicator light was glowing green, meaning it was from Greg.

"It's from the boss."

"Answer it then." Ed suggested.

Jules darted behind Ed, as she took out the PDA and unlocked the screen to read the message- 'Hey Jules, Perra called the station to tell you that G&G might have a go on DiCamilo and to tell you that he loves you.'

_Thanks Perra. _She thought, as an idea came into her mind.

"Jade- let me tell you something." Jules started, as she stepped closer, "If you do decide you want to kill yourself, you won't be here to find the person who does love you, who accepts who you are. Because someday, you will find somebody like that- you'll find someone who you can't stand to be away from for five minutes."

"I'll do it! Get away!"

"No, you're not going to." Jules said, as she looked back to Ed and Spike, "She's not going to do it."

Jules grabbed forward and pulled the knife out of Jade's hand. "Someone does love you."

* * *

><p>Back at the SRU station, Jules stepped out of the women's locker room, and saw Greg waiting for her.<p>

"Good job Jules." He said, "What changed?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, as she adjusted her hair a bit in her reflection in the glass door, as she waited for Perra to pick her up.

"You've been a happier person since you got married Jules. Don't think we haven't picked up on it."

"Thanks."

"You're an excellent negotiator Julianna, I want you to know that."

Jules looked to her boss. "I suppose you want to know what's going on with the DiCamilo case, right?"

"I have a few ideas."

"Wordy told us that Guns & Gangs have been trying to break the DiCamilo case open. Perra found out through the grapevine that the guys who took us hostage got out because of good behavior. He thinks that they might try something like that again, so he's been helping Wordy and his unit out with the case."

"Ok." Greg said, content with the answer.

"So- we going to be looking for new team members, I mean, we never replaced Perra, and now we lost Sam?" Jules asked.

"Yeah," Greg said, "It's not that easy though. There's only one available recruit, the commander can only approve testing if we have at least two recruits, Eddie wants two new people, and management is telling us we can only have one."

"Tough call." Jules said, as she saw Perra pull up, "See you tomorrow?"

"No, tomorrow I'm going to Kingston with Dean. He got fast-tracked from high senior year in Dallas into Queens University."

* * *

><p>Once at home, Jules, me and Megan sat at the table working on our respective workload.<p>

"Synonym to Oxymoron," Jules thought out loud, as she worked on her crossword, "seven letters- Paradox."

I looked over to Jules. "Having fun?" I asked.

"I am," She said with a content smile, "What are you working on?"

"Recruits." I replied, as I closed the one file and bowed my head in frustration, "We've budgeted for four recruits, we have 30-some applications, but I was told I can really only hire two."

"Parker's having the same trouble."

"Why's that?" I asked.

"What are you working on, Meg?" Jules asked.

"My application."

"Oh, god," I said, "Please tell me you're not applying to the student position that's coming up."

"No. Humber places students on volunteer teams with the police."

"Yeah," I replied, "Rover Crews."

"Well, this year is the first year that they're trying out an SRU Rover Crew. I'm applying for it."

"So wait-" I said to Jules, "Why is Greg having a hard time with recruits?"

"Sam left." Jules said, "Never showed up today. I guess Ed and Parker knew, but no one told me and Spike. We're down to four. Ed wants two people….wait, why don't you try out?"

"She can't try out, Jules." I said, "Megan doesn't have her basic academy training yet, or four years' experience in policing."

"I don't mean Megan, I mean you."

"I can't try out; I can't be on the Team."

"No- " Jules corrected, "You can't be on the team, but that doesn't stop you from trying out, plus, you'd be doing the boss and Ed a favor, because there is only one recruit and the commander will only approve testing if there is two or more recruits."

"But by trying out, I'm admitting to trying out for a team I can't be on."

"Not if you're not actually testing for team one. Greg can approve your testing for another team."

"I can tell you want me to try out, don't you?"

"Will you?" Jules asked.

I looked at my wife. "I'll make the call tomorrow."


	24. Looking For Ghosts

"I'll pop her- and you can't do anything about it." Ed said, as he pointed a handgun at the back of Jules' head.

"I want to help you- I really do." I replied, drawing back on my Strategic Response Unit Negotiating training.

* * *

><p>"Hey," Ed said to me, as I entered the SRU building with Jules, "Looking snazzy Perrasmith."<p>

"Which one of us are you actually talking to?" I asked him, "Because she's your co-worker."

Ed laughed, "See the both of you in the gym in five."

Ed walked into the men's locker room. Jules turned to me.

"You'll do fine." She said, as she made her way to the women's locker room, "You don't even want the job- remember?"

_Oh, I remember alright. It's not that I don't want the job- I'd take an SRU position in an instant. It's the fact that I can't have an SRU job with the team I'd want to be with._

_Not that I hate my current job. It's pretty good, but I kind have got used to the wall to wall action I had in the SRU._

I wandered into the gym, and found the other SRU recruit.  
>"Kristopher Perrasmith." I introduced myself to him.<p>

"Bradley Mann." He replied, "Just call me Brad."

"Call me Perra."

"Lookin' sharp there Perra." Spike said, as he entered the room, "Where in god's name did you get that SRU shirt?"

"Oh, it's Jules'. It's tight, but it works."

"Alright," Spike said, as he switched to talking to Brad, "I'll get you a shirt. Medium?"

"Yeah." Brad responded.

Spike left for the linen service. Meanwhile, Ed, Greg and Jules entered.

"Ok," Greg said, "Even though it's raining out- we're still running the endurance course outside."

* * *

><p>As soon as Ed blew the whistle, I started a decent pace down the first stretch of the course. Meanwhile, I noted that Brad had decided to sprint instead. <em>He'll pay for that in the end.<em>

I got to the first barricade just a few seconds shy of Brad, and easily jumped over the two foot barrier.

After that, I started to climb the rope ladder. Once on top of the tower, I grabbed my dummy, and scaled back down the other side.

Because I hadn't winded myself in the first running part, I was able to climb down the other side with the dummy with little to no difficulty, whereas Brad had to stop to catch his breath a few times.

I placed the dummy down, and picked up the ballistic shield and started to climb the wooden steps. Once at the top, I heard the sound of paintballs bombarding the other side of the shield. I looked down range to see Spike gleefully reloading a pod of paintballs into the hopper of the gun.

Taking the moment to full advantage, I understood the scope of this challenge.

I put down the shield and ran to the second bunker, in a setup of several bunkers strewn out around the field. Once at the bunker, I grabbed the paintball pistol from my drop holster and attempted to shoot Spike, but to no avail.

I quickly took in the layout of the other bunkers, as Spike continued to shoot at me.

Suddenly, though, Spike's relentlessness on my position stopped. I looked back to see Brad being shot at from behind the shield, as he started strategizing from there.

I ran forward, and found myself on a foam mat.

From my left, I was tackled by Ed, who wore full foam protection. Ed was able to knock me down to the ground, but I kept the momentum going, as I continued into a roll, and therefore pinning Ed in a submissive position on the mat.

"Spectacular." Ed said, "Continue on."

I ran on, this time using full speed. There were more barricades, and with the speed I had, there was no trouble in clearing them.

Just as I crossed the white line Greg blew his whistle. A few seconds after me, Brad crossed, completely out of breath.

I grabbed two of the water bottles on the ground, and handed one to Brad. "Shouldn't have ran so fast in that first section."

"I wish I wouldn't have." He said, as we headed inside to dry off, and finish the job testing.

* * *

><p>Perra and Brad entered the building, behind them, Ed and Greg were comparing notes, as Jules and Spike started to put away the equipment.<p>

"He still has it." Ed commented, "So far, I want Perra."

"Can't have Perra." Greg replied, "What about Brad?"

"He's good, but he should've known better than the run the first leg."

* * *

><p>Once inside, we started on the CQB testing. Just like old times, I felt natural at this part.<p>

Pressure pads were placed on the punching bag, as we slammed the door sledge into it. Ed didn't verbalize our results, but based on my swing and Brad's swing, I could tell mine had a bit more 'oomph' to it.

_But it's not all about how strong your door ram skills are. It's about how well you are at everything._

At the next section, Spike had mocked up a series of different locks, and both me and Brad were assigned a lock. As I started, I looked at the inside of my lock, and was puzzled, as to what kit I should use. Meanwhile, Brad had already matched his lock to a kit, and had started picking the lock.

I looked at the lock again- closer this time. _Seriously? A triple pinned sheathed? _

I grabbed the three picks to work on the lock and went to town.

* * *

><p>Next, was bomb identification and defusing. Granted, a team typically has a specialized bomb technician, but all SRU officers are expected to have general knowledge of how bombs work and what type of bombs they are looking at.<p>

On the projection board, Spike had brought up a large bomb circuit. "Where's the live wire?" he asked.

It only took me a minute of looking, when I properly identified which wire would be the wire to cut to prevent this bomb from going off.

He brought up another slide.

"I've encountered this in the field. What type of explosion would happen? What kind of damage?"

"Nothing," came my reply, "its propane. Big fire, but no explosion that would cause damage- it was probably used as a distraction."

I saw Spike smile, as he made a note.

Finally, onto the final test- negotiating.

* * *

><p>It was time for my negotiating exam.<p>

Greg observed, and he paired me with Team Four's Sargent Donna Sabeen, who would act as my sentry and protection.

We started at the base of a set of stairs- in the same part of the building that the SRU uses to drill for warrants.

"I got a hostage!" came an angry voice from the top of the stairs.

"Go." I whispered to Donna, as she started up with shield and a bright blue practice firearm.

Once at the top, I saw Ed with a practice firearm. _Of course._

Staying behind my sentry, as a negotiator should be, I spoke to the hostage taker.

"She's with me," I assured my suspect, who was Ed, "She doesn't do anything unless I tell her."

"I got your guy!" Ed yelled, as he pointed the gun up in the air, "And you'll never find 'em! I'll shoot and this entire place goes up in flames."

_Great, they've decided to use an incident similar to how Jules and I got taken hostage._

"I can tell your angry- mind telling me why?" I asked.

"I don't have to tell you anything!"

"Ok- you don't have to tell me anything, but why don't you try lowering your gun first, ok?"

The gun came down a few inches.

Then it lowered all the way, as he pulled up a body from the floor.

Right away, I couldn't tell much about the person, although once Ed brought it up to my eye level, I could tell it was an actual person, and not a dummy. The person had a dark, loose fitting black bag other their head, but I didn't need to see the face to be able to tell who it was.

It was Jules.

He pointed the gun at Jules.

"Get out of here- or I'll kill you both!"

I shook my head, "That's not going to happen, because as soon as your gun goes up, my officer here is going to shoot you, do you know that?"

"I'll pop her- and you can't do anything about it."

"I want to help you- I really do." I responded, "So why don't you tell me why we're all here? Revenge? Is that what you want? Do you want to atone for something you did, because if that's the case, this isn't the way to do it."

"I want her to die, because she arrested my friend, and now he's in prison!"

"You want to help your friend?" I asked, "I get that. There's a something special between a man and his friend that we need to help them- you know? You hear? But this is definitely not the way."

"What is the way then?" Ed yelled.

"To be honest, I don't know, but what will killing her solve? Do you want to be in prison with your friend? Do you want to be in prison for at least five years because you killed someone? Because, prison, it changes you, and you can never get that back; so why don't you put down the gun, and we can try to help your friend, ok?"

Calmly, Ed put the gun down.

"And scene." Greg said from behind me, as he observed the entire examination.

Ed took the bag off of Jules' head as we went back to the gym.

Once at the gym, I sat beside Brad, who waited patiently the entire time. Jules sat across from me beside Spike. I looked up, as I saw Ed and Greg enter the closed debriefing room to go over the test results.

* * *

><p>"Endurance, eight out of nine," Ed said, " CQB- off the charts. A bit rusty on the locks, but then again, we did throw a lock at him that he hasn't worked on a lot. According to Spike, he nailed the bombs, and from where I was, he was excellent at the negotiating."<p>

"That's great Ed, it really is, but Perra can't be part of the team."

"Why not? Why can't he sign something like Jules did? I want the best on this team Greg."

"What's so wrong with Brad? What did he do that didn't impress you?"

"I'm not saying he isn't good, all I'm saying is that I want someone who I know works well with the team."

Greg looked deeply into Ed's eyes. Suddenly, he pulled out his cellphone and started to make a call.

"I'm putting it on speaker." Greg said.

"Who?"

"Dr. Toft." Greg said, "I want his input."

"Hello?"

"Hi, Dr. Toft," Parker said loudly "It's Sargent Greg Parker here with Toronto Police Service's Strategic Response Unit."

"Yes?"

"We're down two guys and we really need someone. Is there any way we can get a pardon contract for Kristopher Perrasmith?"

"What about other recruits?" Toft asked.

"Not really an option. We only have one other guy, and I'm not too sure about his history. Part time foot cop for four years- challenged SRU Training and passed, barely though. Lowest grades possible."

Toft sighed. "Yeah, I suppose it's doable. I'll have to come in and do a psych evaluation."

* * *

><p>"What do you think is going on?" Spike asked.<p>

"They're thinking." Jules said, as I started to get up, "Where you going?"

"Home," I said, "You still have half your shift to go, and I'd like to get some sleep before I pull the midnight tonight."

"You don't want to wait for your results?" she asked.

I started to say something, as the debriefing room door opened.

"Brad- boss wants to see you." Ed said, "Perra, can I talk to you?"

Brad went in, and shut the door behind him.

"Sure, go ahead Ed."

"Privately." Ed said, "Follow me."

With a heavy sigh, I followed Ed into the locker room. "How far we taking this Ed?"

"Do you want to be on the team? Ed said, as he spun around.

"What? I can't…." I started.

"Well you can." Ed said, "All you'd have to do is pass a psych evaluation with Toft."

"I need to talk to Jules about this."

"You can't," Ed said, "The boss is talking to Brad about some things. We need to make a decision. We thought we'd afford you the opportunity to take the job, and if you didn't want it, we'd take Brad. Greg's waiting for me to call him."

Ed got out his cellphone, as he flipped it out in his hand. "So what's it going to be?"

"Yes."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Twist! Wasn't expecting that one, eh?**


	25. For The Ones We Can't Save

"Team one- hot call! Abduction at gunpoint into a vehicle, marker Delta Bravo Tango Foxtrot One Eighteen- last seen going north on Markham."

* * *

><p>"Come on sleeping beauty!" I yelled up the stairs, as I fiddled with the collar on the grey SRU uniform.<p>

_The psych evaluation wasn't too bad. Pretty much the same as the last time, only this time Toft grilled me about the Priority of Life Code, and other SRU Codes of Conduct instead of my medical history._

_I wasn't able to read his reaction too well, but I think the commander was even ok with me coming back. He had to be in the room to witness me signing my Pardon Contract, which would pardon my previous code of conduct incident and waive my rights to retain my employment with the force if I violated the Code again._

"You talking to me?" Jules asked, as she came down the stairs in full SRU dress. She planted a tight kiss on me, as she continued walking into the kitchen. "Better get that out of the way- won't be able to do that at work."

"No- I was talking to the other one." I said, as Megan came out of her room.

Once downstairs, I made her stand at attention, as I looked over her uniform.

"The back of your shirt is wrinkled." I said, "You got another one?"

"Dad- no one is going to care." She said, "Can I go already? I'm going to be late."

"They're going to care, Megan. If you come in for your first day looking like a lazy slob, they're going to treat you like one."

"Dad- its college."

"College or not- this might make or break your career."

_Megan's first day of college. Damn, I'm proud of her._

* * *

><p>Once at work, the team changed into our workout gear and started our workout in the gym.<p>

"So- what's it like?" Ed asked me, as he finished his bicep curls, and moved onto the rowing machine.

I finished my set of leg exercises and then I answered Ed. "What are you talking about?"

"Your daughter's first day of college is today, right? What's it like, to know that in two years she'll have her basic police training, and she can start at the Academy?"

"I'm proud of her. You know? What's Clark doing this year?"

"Ah, he's staying in high school for his victory lap. He wants to get all of his music credits."

"You proud of him?" I asked.

"Of course- but I don't know why he couldn't go to college to get his credits."

"He probably has his reasons." I comforted Ed.

"Yeah, he better." Ed said.

* * *

><p>Over to the other side of the gym, away from Ed and Perra, both Jules and Spike were focused on cardio on the fixed bicycles.<p>

"Do you think it's going to be weird- working with him?" Spike asked.

"I don't know Spike. I wouldn't think so. We did it for a month before Perra left SRU."

"You remember how that ended up, right?" Spike reminded.

"Yeah."

Greg came over. "Why are we whispering?"

"We're not." Spike said, "We're just talking."

"Talking about what?" Greg asked, as he took a spot on a bicycle across from the two.

Greg followed Jules' stare, and looked back behind him, to see where she was looking.

"You picked a good spot Jules. You can see everything from there, right?"

Jules looked at Greg darkly.

"Just my observations, Jules."

* * *

><p>Megan sat down at the desk she was assigned in the classroom. She'd be expected to sit in this exact spot anytime she is in this classroom for the next two years.<p>

She looked around, and noted and it was only her and one other girl who wore their college police foundations uniform.

Two instructors went up and down the rows, collecting the information of each student. She already knew that they'd expect to see a driver's license and first aid certification card, but she also had out her firearms license card.

Finally the instructor made his way to her.

"Nice touch." He said, as he poked the uniform with the end of his end, as he noted something in a large blank space beside Megan's name on the roster, "Not very many recruits wear their uniforms on the first day."

"To be honest- my dad made me. Said it would make or break my career." Megan answered.

"Sounds like a man who's done this before. What's his name?"

"Kristopher Perrasmith." Megan uneasily answered; curious as to if her instructor would recognize her father's name.

"Sargent Perrasmith, from down in Toronto's 52nd?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"He's a hell of a nice guy, and was a pleasure to work for. I was a Border Services officer with him."

_Great, _Megan thought, _this guy knows my dad. Great…_

* * *

><p>After their workout, we suited back up into uniform, and Greg wanted to see us in the debriefing room.<p>

"Lady and gentlemen," Greg said, as he pressed a single button on the remote for the projector, " Lars Quin- wanted for assault of the 3rd degree, reckless behavior involving a motor vehicle, unlawful possession of a firearm, and most recently, murder."

"Terrific." Ed said.

"Guess who gets to knock on this guy's door." Greg asked.

I raised my hand.

"Yes, Perra?"

"Us?"

"You bet." Parker continued, as he scrolled down Mr. Quin's rap sheet, "Known to be residing at 1377 Parkdale."

"Whoa, " I said, "What's this guy doing in a high class neighborhood like that?"

"Where they be a murder, there be a money." Spike said, as we left the debriefing room and to get into the SRU trucks.

* * *

><p>I drove one SUV, with Jules as my second. Spike rode with Ed and Greg.<p>

Jules motioned to go radio silence, so I turned off the radio. "What's up?" I asked.

"You ok?"

"Why would I not be?"

"It could feel weird." Jules said.

"It's not." I said, as I gave Jules a quick smirk.

We turned the radios back on just in time, as Ed was starting to broadcast- "Low and slow. Myself, & Perra- alpha on front entry. Boss, Spike and Jules on Bravo securing the perimeter."

We got out at our location. I met up with Ed, with the CQB kit in my bags.

"Perimeter secure, bravo?" Ed asked, as I removed the door sledge from its spot and readied it.

"Hold, Eddie." Greg informed.

"Black wall secure." Came Jules.

"White secure."

"Scarlatti on Red." Spike radioed in.

"On four-" Ed said, as he pulled out a flashbang, and pulled the pin, "One, two, three-"

I brought back the sledge.

"Four."

That was my command, as I let the massive weight of the sledge do its work of breaking the door off of its hinges, and onto the ground. Just a second later, Ed dropped in a flashbang, followed by our dynamic entry.

"I'll take the basement." Ed said, as he went downstairs.

I jumped up the small set of three stairs onto the main floor. "Police- SRU!"

"I got action on black wall, alpha-" Jules radioed in, "Bathroom!"

"Copy that." I replied, as I ran down the hallway, and kicked in the bathroom door, to see Lars Quin trying to open the bathroom window.

"Police, SRU! Do not move!"

"You got joy Perra?" Ed asked from down the hall.

"10-4."

"Put your hands on your head, and do not move." Ed said, as he entered beside me.

Knowing Ed had my back, I approached Lars, who had thrown his arms up and placed his hands on his head.

I got my cuffs on him, and I radioed in, "Lars Quin, in custody."

* * *

><p>"Ok- any other branches of policing?" the instructor asked.<p>

He had made a flow chart on the whiteboard , starting from basic training, and into what jobs you could get with what training.

"What about anything off of Tactical Police Training?" he asked.

Immediately Megan's hand went up, at the same time, as the other girl who wore her uniform.

"Yes-" the instructor said, as he looked down at the student information sheets, "Kelly?"

"Strategic Response, or SWAT."

"And Megan? What were you going to say?"

"I was going to say the same thing." Megan replied, who gave the other girl a sly look behind her back.

The instructor seemed pleased, as he wrote down another branch off of Tactical Police Training.

"Can anyone tell me what purpose a Strategic Response Unit provides?"

This time, no one put their hands up- only Megan did.

"Megan?"

"The Strategic Response Unit is a specialized unit within a police force that combines the skills of master marksmanship, squad tactics, above all- suspect profiling."

The entire class looked at Megan.

"Very impressive Ms. Perrasmith." The instructor praised, "What makes SRU different from SWAT?"

"For Special Weapons and Tactics units, their objectives are to use their tools- special weapons and tactics to their advantage to control the situation. While the same holds true for SRU, they are different in the way that they profile their suspects and will either engage the suspect in a psychological or tactical manner. That being said, the primary objective of SRU is to peacefully work out the disturbance in hope that the suspect remain unharmed. Lethal situations are always considered to be a last resort."

"That was amazing Megan." The instructor applauded, "How do you know so much about Strategic Response Units?"

"Because my dad and my step-mom are both SRU Officers with the TPS."

"Really?" the instructor said, with a renewed enthusiasm.

* * *

><p>The cruiser pulled up to the front of the home, and the officer got out and opened the door for me.<p>

I put Lars in the cruiser.

"Good job Perra." Ed said, "We patrolling now, Parker?"

"Team One- hot call!" came Winnie's voice over the radio.

"What do we got?" Ed asked, as we jumped back into the trucks.

"Abduction at gunpoint into a vehicle, marker Delta Bravo Tango Foxtrot One Eighteen- last seen going north on Markham. Suspect unknown, but I'm working on it. A friend was with Jessica Whissle when it happened."

"Ok, Winnie," Greg said, "But an APB out for the vehicle. Follow in stealth, do not engage. SRU only."

"I'll review red light cameras." Came Spike's voice.

"Copy that." Ed said, "Perra- take the highway and head south on Markham, and I'll head north from our location. Hopefully we can contain and stop this."

* * *

><p>"Winnie- I'd like to talk to Jessica's friend, you still have her on the line?" Greg asked.<p>

"No, but dispatch flagged her cellphone with GPS. I can track it, and you guys can stop by."

"Ok- where is it?"

"She's at the Scarborough Town Centre." Winnie said.

"Boss, we're close." Jules said, as she rode with me, "Perra can drop me off, and I can talk to her, press for details, that way he can continue."

"Winnie- we got a name yet?" Greg asked.

"Yeah, vehicle is registered to a Jamie Douglas."

"Jamie Douglas?" Jules asked, as she worked on the laptop, "Winnie, you sure? That's a woman's name. Sure there isn't a miscommunication?"

"Negative Jules, Jessica was taken at gunpoint according to her friend."

"Boss- we need to talk to this friend." Spike piped in.

"Too late," I said, as I sped past the turnoff for the Town Centre, "We're already past. Send a uni for details."

"Copy that." Ed replied, "You got eye's yet Spike?"

"The vehicle is a yellow Pontiac Sunfire."

I pulled off the highway at Markham, and used the lights and sirens to make people stop around me so I could go as fast as possible around them.

"I got her!" I said, as I witnessed a northbound yellow Sunfire, "Do you want me to pit?"

"Go for it, Perra." Ed commanded.

I quickly spun the wheel, and crossed the cement divider, as I got behind the Sunfire.

I started to inch closer, but suddenly I saw the driver's side window of the Sunfire roll down, as Jamie threw her hand out with a small pistol and fired back to us.

"Bravo taking fire!" I yelled.

"Fall back!" Ed instructed, "I'm right behind you Bravo. Keep the pressure on- Team Six has secured the next intersection and has deployed spike strips."

I continued driving and in the distance I could see that the next intersection had indeed been cleared, and had several police cruisers and Team Six's SRU trucks littered on either side.

The suspect must've seen it as well, as she turned and skidded into the parking lot of a grocery store.

"Call it Spike." Greg asked him.

"1528 hours- Strategic Response Unit Team One called to and involved with armed abduction of Jessica Whissle by a Jamie Douglas, driving a yellow Pontiac Sunfire, marker Delta Bravo Tango Foxtrot One One Eight. Suspect is fleeing police custody and driving erratically."

* * *

><p>The police foundations instructor got all of his students into the weight and fitness training room.<p>

"Ok," he started, "Anyone who did not participate in this morning's lecture, I want 300 crunches."

Immediately at least 5 people went to the foam mats and started working on their crunches.

"Everybody who didn't show up in uniform- including those who didn't participate- I want 5 minutes of cardio!" Go, go go- go, go, go!"

Suddenly, before everybody else had started their exercise instructions, Megan realized that only she and Kelly remained- the only two who both participated in the lecture and showed up in uniform, remained.

"Now, normally," the instructor said, as she approached the two, "We get a lot more recruits who wear their uniforms on the first day."

"What do you want us to do?" Megan asked.

"I like your energy and enthusiasm Perrasmith and Wordsworth, I think you'll both be up for the job."

Megan looked over to Kelly, as she recognized the last name, but paid more attention to the professor.

"What job?" Megan asked.

"The both of you are going to be Class Sargent. I'll get your new epaulettes after lunch. You'll be expected to maintain a high overall exercise score, as well as oversee your classmate's exercises. On top of that, you'll be required to hand in a report at the end of each week. The report should contain your observations of your classmates, as well as any concerns yourself or your classmates bring to your attention. I assume that both of you applied to a Rover Crew?"

Kelly shook her head no.

"I did sir." Megan replied.

"Which one?"

"The SRU Rover."

"Following in the footsteps Perrasmith?"

"You could say that."

"I'll fast track your application and see to it that you get a spot. It really motivates the rest of the recruits to apply to Rover Crews if they see that their Sargent is on a Rover Crew."

"Anything else?" Kelly asked.

"Not yet."

* * *

><p>"Keep the pressure on bravo!" Ed yelled over the radio, "Rolling roadblock, boss?"<p>

"Negative." Parker replied, "Too frantic. We need to stop this, ASAP. Winnie- we still got Team Six?"

"No," she responded, "Got an armed domestic downtown."

"Call into Durham, see if they can get their chopper in the air, get us some intel." Greg asked, "Spike- that car have a PA?"

"No- the car's too old."

"Ok- what are you thinking Eddie?"

"I got it." Ed said, "Bravo- corral the vehicle back onto the street via the north entrance. Alpha will be waiting, and we'll shoot out the tires."

"Copy that Ed." I replied, as I gave the vehicle some gas, and edged the Sunfire into the direction I wanted it to go.

It didn't take too long to get it back on the street, but instead of taking the north exit as planned, the vehicle decided to use the west exit.

"No solution alpha, no solution!"

"Get closer." Jules said, as she grabbed her MP5 from the back seat, "Ed, I can take a shot on the rear tires from my position."

"Do it, Jules." Ed said, "It won't do too much- that car is a front wheel drive, but it might slow her up enough."

"Roger that." Jules said, as she rolled down her window and leaned out with the firearm.

I got into position, and Jules carefully took her shots, both of which crippled the rear tires.

"Good work Jules." I commented, as I continued the pursuit, with Ed's SUV behind us, "Ed- she's all over the road and endangering herself and others- how about we get more cruisers down here to restrict some traffic?"

"Good idea. Spike?"

"On it." Spike replied.

"That's the inspector," Greg said, over the radio, as he picked up his ringing cellphone "Pay attention team."

"Sarge."

"Inspector Stainton." Greg said, "What do we know? We got Durham's chopper?"

"Yes, and no."

"How's that?"

"They have a chopper available, but right now, it's flying over the lake."

"So we don't have a chopper then." Greg said, "Anything else?"

"Nope."

"Thanks, inspector."

"Thanks?" I said over the radio, "We have nothing-"

"Perra, watch out!" Jules screamed.

I looked forward, as I saw the yellow Sunfire swerve off to the right, as the car started to wrap itself around a light pole.

I pounded the brake hard, as I came to a stop to the left of the crash, as Ed came to a stop to the right.

Immediately, me and Jules got out of the vehicle, firearms drawn and approached the carnage.

"Police, SRU!" Jules yelled, as she made her way to the driver's door.

I covered Jules, as she reached in and grabbed the single handgun that was used by Jamie Douglas.

"We need an EMT!" she cried out, as she handed the gun back to me.

I quickly cleared the magazine and the round in the chambered and bagged the evidence. Within seconds I broadcasted over the radio, "Emergency Medical Personnel required at motor vehicle accident. GPS co-ordinates transmitted through transmitter 78416. I repeat, medical personnel required immediately."

"Pull her out Jules." Greg said, as he was taking about our suspect.

I assisted Jules; as we pried open the driver's door. Using the seatbelt cutters on my knife, I cut the seat belt quickly.

Jules shoved up a piece of the dashboard and the airbag, as I pulled Jamie out, and onto the ground.

I checked for a pulse. Nothing.

"We need a defib!" I yelled, as Jules scrambled back to the truck to get a defibrillator, as I started mouth to mouth CPR.

Within minutes, the EMTs arrived and started to work on Jamie. As they put her on the stretcher, I cuffed her one wrist to the side of the gurney.

* * *

><p><em>I'm not even a day in, and I already have enough work! <em>Megan thought to herself.

She was on break between her General Policing class and her elective- Police Tactics, a relatively new class that was being taught by ex-SRU members.

_Great- even more people who'll probably know my dad, or my step-mom._

She poured herself into her notebook that she purchased that she was using to write her observations of her classmates in General Policing. Already, three students talked to her, saying they might quit. She tried to talk them into staying, and they told her that they'll think about.

_Now I know what dad was talking about- Sargent's really do have a lot of paperwork._

* * *

><p>"And after Officer Jules Perrasmith shot the tires of the suspect's vehicle, the driver, Jamie Douglas, became extremely erratic in driving behavior which was the result of the Motor Vehicle Incident, therefore causing the death of Jessica Whissle." Greg said, as he went over his Critical Incident report with the team.<p>

"Anything else to add?" Ed asked.

"I'm writing down that I suggest that Jamie Douglas be charged manslaughter." Greg added.

Winnie walked into the room.

"Sarge." She said.

"Winnie- what's the good news?"

"No good news sir, the hospital just called. Jamie Douglas was just pronounced dead."

* * *

><p>I drove home. Jules was in the passenger's seat, as she looked out the window. I could tell she just wanted some quiet time to herself, so I gave it to her.<p>

Once we were home, we changed into some simple clothes. Ed was picking us up, and we were going out to the bar.

We waited on the couch, and Megan came in.

"Hey Megan," I said, as she sat down across from me on the chair, "How was your first day?"

Jules seemed interested in the conversation, but she didn't move a muscle from where she laid down, with her head on her favorite shoulder- my left.

"I don't know how you did it dad- it's hard."

"You'll get used to it. Just try working out on your own time, and you'll see the benefits."

"That part was easy- it was the paperwork."

I smiled. "We're going out to the bar. You want to come?"

"Can I have a drink when we get there?"

"Are you 19?" I asked.

"I will be in a month."

"Then no," I said with a laugh, "You still want to come?"

"I need to relax, so yeah."

"Get changed, Ed's picking us up in five."

* * *

><p>Once at the bar, Greg ordered a beer for everyone, except Megan, although he ordered her a non-alcoholic beer.<p>

"Thanks Mr. Parker." Megan thanked him.

"Don't call me that," he said, as he let Spike back into the booth after he got back from the washroom, "Makes me feel old."

"You are old." I said, "You have a son in University."

Everyone laughed.

"Very funny, very funny," Greg said, "You two shouldn't talk." He said, as he pointed to me and Ed, "Your son is doing his victory lap and Megan is a new police recruit at Humber."

We all cheered to that.

"Ok, guys- seriously." Greg said, "We connect, respect and protect, but no matter how well things go, how perfectly we shoot, how fast we go, or how many computers we use- there will always be some that we can't save."

"For the ones that we can't save." Ed said, as he raised his bottle in their honor.

We all clinked our drinks with his, as we all drank to the people we couldn't save- or can't protect. We drank to the lives of Jessica Whissle and Jamie Douglas.


	26. Everybody Hates Math

**A/N: Everybody does hate math, right? Well, I don't HATE it myself, but there are some times were it does get the better of me. Haha- anyways, I hope you guys are enjoying the HUGE updates I've been able to do. Don't thank me; thank the epic writers of Flashpoint who have just enabled me.**

* * *

><p>"Perra, do you have the solution?" Ed asked me over the radio.<p>

I lined up the scope reticle on the suspect, "I have the solution."

* * *

><p>I got up from bed before the alarm went off and went into the washroom. I was half dressed when I came back into the room to turn off the alarm before it went off.<p>

"Wake up, sleepy head." I said to Jules.

"I'm comfortable, I really don't want to."

With a smile, I got into bed with her.

"Still comfortable?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm perfect." She replied, as I kissed her, "I don't want this moment to end."

"Well, it's going to have to. We have to be at work in four hours.

"I think I'm ready…" Jules whispered to me, as she looked up to me, and put her hand underneath my shirt to coax my tense chest muscles.

"For breakfast?"

"For this." She said, "I want to have kids."

I looked at her with amazement.

"I'm not saying that I don't consider Megan my daughter, because I do, you know? I just- I haven't been with a lot of guys, and you're the first one I've wanted to have his kids."

"Why don't we work on that?" I suggested, as I kissed her passionately, and started to tear down the progress I've made in getting ready for work.

* * *

><p>Megan looked at her clock in her room. She heard her dad get up and enter the bathroom. <em>Jeez dad, lay off the midnight water chugs, ok?<em>

But she couldn't focus on that. She had to focus on her computer screen where a half-finished weekly Class Sargent report was awaiting to be printed and handed in at noon.

_Ok- so it's only 6am. I should have lots of time- finish the report, shower, get dressed, leave for school around 8. Class starts at 11, so that'll give me time to eat some breakfast at the café on campus, do a few laps at the track, shower in the locker room and class at 11am._

_Class at 11- ugh, I hate Communications. Yes, I know how to spell and read- my parents taught me!_

_Talking about parents- oh god- dad? Seriously? Sex at 6am?_

Then a chime came from the computer. An email. _Sorry report, emails first- then report._

She opened up the screen and looked at the sender.

Haley McLeod. _Mom?_

So he opened the email and read it:

_Hi Megan. Sorry I haven't talked to you in a while, just thought I'd email you, see how things were going. If you want, I'm working at the little coffee shop near Warden High School- if you want to stop by, and have a donut- or a coffee._

She immediately closed and deleted the email. She didn't want anything to do with the woman who had divorced her father two years ago.

_Should I tell dad? Yeah, I probably should. It's a breach of the divorce settlement, isn't it? I mean, I was granted exclusive custody to my father, with no contact from my biological mother allowed._

_I suppose I'll look into it first, before I tell dad._

* * *

><p>"How are you today?" Ed asked me, as he entered the gym, as I spotted Jules at the bench press.<p>

"Outstanding sir."

"C'mon Jules, back in the day you could press upwards of a 150- why you doing 80?" Ed asked.

"That's what she wanted to start at." I said, "Gotta listen to the wife, remember?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah." Ed said, with a smile, as Jules lifted the weights again.

"So, you hear anything more about the NHL…" I started.

"Hey Jack!" Jules yelled, "I don't have this!"

Quickly, before the weighted bar fell onto Jules, I grabbed the bar, so she could safely get up.

"You ok?" I asked.

"Yeah, I just need to work out more."

* * *

><p>"Ok Team," Greg said, with excitement, "First day in a long time- no calls."<p>

"Don't jinx it." Spike said, as he opened a salt packet and threw its contents his left shoulder.

"And I'll also call custodial down here to clean up another one of Spike's whacky superstitious messes." Ed said, as he grabbed a phone on the wall.

"Because of this 'gift'," Greg continued, "We will be spending the rest of our shift down here, with our service weapons and more than enough ammo that we could ask for."

"Team One- hot call!" Winnie yelled over the intercom.

"You had to jinx it, didn't you?" Spike asked, as we ran back up the stairs to the locker room, "Couldn't leave well enough alone, could he?"

"Hey," I said to Spike, "I honestly thought the salt thing was going to work."

* * *

><p>Once at the call, we piled out and surrounded Eddie.<p>

"We got an unidentified person with an unidentified weapon, making unknown demands. What do we need?"

"I'll get on intel." Spike said, as he got into the command truck, which arrived on scene.

"Me and Ed on recon." I said, as I got everything ready.

"And me and Greg on witnesses." Jules replied, as her and Parker went to work questioning witnesses.

"What do we got Spike?" I asked over the radio.

"Unidentified everything, can't even access CCTV. The security guards won't say anything because apparently they are not authorized to do so. We apparently have to wait for their Client Manager to arrive."

"That's a negative Spike." I replied, as me and Ed entered the building, "Under the Private Security and Investigations Act of Ontario, all information relevant to a case or criminal investigation must be surrendered to police forthwith, upon request."

"Apparently it's a company policy, Perra. All that we know, is that somewhere in the Canadian Institute of Technology there is an angry person with a gun."

"Terrific. That really narrows it down." Ed said sarcastically.

* * *

><p>"Ok team, listen up," Greg said over the radio, "I got a witness here says the gunshot came from the room beside her."<p>

"Which was?" Ed asked.

"She was in room 411. Spike?"

"Don't have floor plans yet boss, I have to get everything from city hall. Could take a while."

"Probably room 409." I suggested to Ed, as we made our way up the stairs.

Once at the fourth floor, we looked around for signs of a struggle or a hostage taking. Nothing.

We approached room 407. The room we want to check is room 409- the next one.

I grabbed a blind spot mirror from my side pouch, and telescoped it out to its full extension.

With a simple head nod, me and Ed entered room 409.

"Police- SRU! Get on the ground!" I yelled, as I saw a large group of college level persons.

"Spike, we got a large crowd in room 409. We need to evac these people right away."

"I'm on it." Came his reply.

"Ok- does anybody know where the shooter is?" I asked.

Everybody shook their heads. In broken English an Asian woman said, "He left- went down hall."

"Alright, thank you. An officer will be up shortly to get you safely out of the building." Ed said, "Did anyone recognize the shooter?"

Again, no information.

"Alright," I said, as a police officer entered the room, "Follow this officer, he will lead you out."

Before the officer started to corral everyone downstairs, me and Eddie continued down the hallway.

"This would go much faster if we had CCTV on our side." I mentioned over the radio.

"Getting Judge Yasef to order a warrant for the release of the CCTV." Spike said, "Shouldn't take long after that."

"Any more information?" Ed asked Jules and Greg.

"Not much," Jules said, "What one person says, another rules it out. You need me inside?"

"No. Spike- call up Team Four- see if they can give us a hand."

* * *

><p>After about five laps around the track, Megan slipped into the showers. After freshening herself up, and changing into her police foundations uniform, she grabbed her phone from the cellphone cradle that her father got her for her belt.<p>

_Voicemail. Who the hell is it?_

After punching in the voicemail password, she listened to it.

"Hey, Megan. I'm glad you didn't change your number. Did your dad get you a new phone? Where are you? Why don't you stop around 2pm at the coffee place by Warden High School so we can catch up?"

_Again- Haley? What the hell- this is starting to get creepy._

"Hey- Megan, right?" a guy from her class said to her, just as Megan finished deleting the voicemail.

"Yeah- Jason, right?"

"Yeah. We have Communications next, right?"

"I know I do. You might not. Some people have Police Powers- why?"

"Oh, well, then I assuming you're on the A-class structure."

"Uh, sure, maybe I am. Why, what's up?" Megan asked again.

"I was just wondering if I could be switched from B-class to A-class."

"I'll look into it."

Megan stopped at a bench outside to jot down Jason's question, when Kelly, the other Class Sargent stopped by.

"Hey Kel." Megan said, using a quick nickname that Megan just invented for her.

"Hey Megan, I have a question."

"Shoot." Megan said, still taking down notes, not really paying attention.

"Are you related to Kristopher and Julianna Perrasmith?"

Megan looked up, "Yeah, why?"

"I was talking about some of my classmates to my uncle- he works in Guns and Gangs in the Toronto Police Service, and when I mentioned your last name, he told me that he knew you."

"Wordy." Megan responded, "Yeah, my dad replaced him when he left SRU. My step-mom worked with him for quite a few years."

"That's cool, having your own parents as cops. All I have is my uncle, and he can't talk much about his job- he's been working on some huge case apparently."

Megan thought to herself that she probably knew what that case was about, based on what her dad had told her.

"It's not that great. I have to pass a uniform inspection before I leave the house every day. My dad's been taking me to the shooting range, and he already expects me to get SRU accuracy results. My step-mom, she isn't as anal about it, but she's been helping me develop my workouts."

"Still, it's cool. See you in General Policing."

* * *

><p>"CCTV?" I asked again.<p>

"And- let there be cameras. Only three of them," Spike said with disappointment, "I'll see what's going on."

"Anything else Greg?" Ed asked, since we had stopped in the middle of the fourth floor hallway.

"Not much. Wait til he shoots again?"

Then a bullet smashed through a window ten feet away from us.

"Perra, Ed- status." Spike asked.

"All ok." I replied.

"No harm."

I risked a peek out the window.

"Probably in the atrium below us, any cameras there Spike?"

"Nope. Still only got three."

"Ok, Jules," Ed said, "Meet up with us, we're taking cover up on fourth floor. Bring a precision rifle. Perra- you'll be Sierra, and me and Jules will recon the atrium."

"10-4, Ed." Greg said, "We're still flying blind."

Jules came up pretty fast, and handed me the rifle, as I gave her my PDW.

After Ed and Jules sneaked away, I opened a small window. After checking to make sure the magazine on the gun was full, and locking a round in the chamber, ready to fire, I set up my Sierra perch.

"Sierra comfy." I noted over the radio.

"Got eyes?" Ed asked.

"Nothing yet." I replied, as I put down the rifle, and took out the binoculars to look around with.

* * *

><p>"I got a snapshot of our suspect on CCTV." Spike radioed out, "Coming to you on the PDA."<p>

I pulled out my PDA and opened the file.

"Ed- we're looking for an early twenties man. Facial construct looks to be European."

"Copy, that." Ed said, "Atrium is clear. Any leads?"

"None yet." Greg replied, "Keep looking."

"Alright Perra- cover us," Ed instructed, "We're going out in the open. If he's around, he might try to approach or shoot. Look for muzzle flashes or movement."

As both Jules and Ed approached the middle of the atrium, I looked around. _Nothing._

"Nothing Ed."

"Alright- new information team one," Greg said, "Suspect is Alban Gruber, 23 years of age. No known family or friends. He immigrated to Canada 2 years ago, and his Canadian Status application was fast tracked because he was a member of the Russian Militia. He is living on campus in the residence in room 21A."

"Second floor- Perra, meet up with us for dynamic entry." Ed said, as they rushed to the residence location.

Once we were all there, I strapped the rifle to my bag, and readied the door sledge.

"Ok, Perra," Spike started, "Those doors in the residence- they're fire rated. They're not going down without a fight."

"Copy that." I whispered.

With Ed's signature head nod, I rammed the door. I could tell that the door was leaning in, but it was definitely not down. With another slam the middle of the door started to dent.

"I'll only be able to get one more, good hit." I mentioned to Ed, as I swung the door ram for the 3rd time.

This time, it blew off its hinges.

Jules entered first, followed by Ed, then me. Once inside, it didn't take us very long to clear the empty room.

"He's not here Sarge." I replied, as I started looking around for clues, just as Ed and Jules were, "Spike, any luck with the CCTV?"

"Not for lack of trying." Spike replied, "There- he's back in the atrium!"

* * *

><p>After her Communications class, Megan had about a half hour before she had to report in at her General Policing class.<p>

To kill some time, she decided to change into her workout clothes and hit up the fitness room.

It was empty, so she decided to tape up her hands and pound the boxing bag.

After a few minutes, lines of sweat were building up on her forehead, and she could feel her arm muscles contract every time she placed a hit on the bag.

_So far, it's been a good day. General policing from 12:30 to 4, and group fitness testing at 4:30- I'm going to exhausted. Oh well, when I get home, I'll jump in the pool, and cool off. Dad and Jules…mom, should be home around 10 tonight. Off for the weekend. Well, except the fact that dad will want me to go the range with him this weekend. Ugh…._

Then over from her book bag, and neatly folded uniform, Megan heard her phone ringing.

Stopping her workout, she went over, and without looking at the call display, pressed the answer button.

"Hello?"

"Megan?" came a woman's voice.

"Who is this?" Megan asked.

"It's mom."

"Why would you call me, you know I'm at school." Megan said, expecting the caller to be Jules.

"School? You're in school? Where?"

"Who is this?" Megan asked again, this time, with a stronger cadence.

"It's your mother."

"My mother is Jules Perrasmith, and anyone pretending to be her should stop right now."

"No, it's your mother- Haley."

"Stop it." Megan said, as she sat down, and looked around, "Stop calling me, stop emailing me, just stop it. I don't want to talk to you."

"I'm your…"

"You're not my mother!" Megan yelled into the phone.

Suddenly, Megan noted that her General Policing instructor came into the room, "Everything ok in here?" he asked.

"I have to go." Megan said into the phone, as she hung it up.

Flustered and angry, Megan put the phone back on top of her clothes, as she covered her eyes, wanting to forget all the fights that she saw her dad in with the woman who has been trying to contact her.

"Everything ok Perrasmith?" the instructor asked.

"It's my dad's ex-wife," she said, as she held back tears of anger and fear, "She's been emailing, and calling me. I don't want to talk to her- she's not supposed to!"

"Is she your biological mother?" he asked, as he sat down beside her.

Megan nodded.

"I can't imagine what you're going through Megan, and I wouldn't want to. Why don't you take off?"

Megan looked up at her instructor, "But….the report and the fitness test."

He smiled, "I saw you running on the track this morning. You're also here right now. I don't have to test you to know that you're in excellent shape."

"But-"

"There's no 'buts' here Perrasmith, ok?" he said, "Go home, get a start on your weekend, and deal with the things that need to be dealt wih- ok?"

"Here- I have the report for you." Megan said, as she rifled through her bag and handed the instructor the report, in a neat file folder.

"Nice touch." He said, as his finger's grazed the folder, "Go home."

* * *

><p>"Perra- get a proper Sierra position!" Ed barked at me, as I climbed the stairs and found an excellent spot for my perch.<p>

I didn't have to check the gun this time to make sure it's good to go, because I knew.

After deploying the bipod, and resting it on the thick staircase wall, I peered through the scope.

"Perra, do you have the solution?" Ed asked me over the radio.

I lined up the scope reticle on the suspect, "I have the solution."

"Hold, Sierra One," Parker said, "Ed- you take this one. Jules- you cover him."

"Got it." Came Jules' acknowledgement.

"Alban-" Ed yelled, to get his attention, "My name is Ed Lane, I'm with the Police Strategic Response Unit- I want to help you buddy."

"Nenávidím matematiku! Višchni nenávidí matematiku!"

"What's he saying?" Greg asked.

"No clue, definitely a derivative of Russian- maybe Czech?" I suggested.

"I just want to help you." Ed yelled out, "Help? You understand that?"

"You think I'm Russian, you think I stupid!" Alban yelled at Ed.

"It's ok boss, we won't need a translator." I relayed back to Greg.

"I don't think you are stupid Alban, I just think you need someone to help you, right? Someone who can explain things better, right? A friend or family member- you have anyone you want us to call?" Ed asked.

"Don't try!" Alban yelled as, he pointed the gun- which was a Walther PPQ, at Ed.

"Scorpio." Ed quickly muttered over the radio.

Without hesitation, I lined my shot, and took it.

* * *

><p>Megan changed into her normal clothes in the locker room, and went out to her car, a cheap 2003 Acura TL A-SPEC that she bought off of Jules' brother, when he was in town buying a new car.<p>

After throwing her bags into the rear seat, she got in and started her 45 minute drive home.

After merging onto the highway, like she learned to in her driver's training, she continued on, at a good speed in the driving lane.

_Never drive in the passing lane, unless you have to, _she remembered her father telling her, _The transports, they love driving in that lane. Also- the OPP use that lane a lot to get from various __locations along the highway._

Then her cellphone beeped, as she received a text message. Since her phone was connected to the installed aftermarket Bluetooth system, it read the message out loud.

"Hello, Megan-" the highly computerized voice said, "It is Haley. I need your help. I need some money."

Beginning to cry a bit, Megan finally got the opportunity to pull over to the side of the highway, although she had stopped right beside a sign that noted that there was no parking alongside allowed.

She leaned her head on the steering wheel, as she started crying harder. _Why is she doing this to me? Doesn't she get it? Doesn't she understand that I don't want to talk to her?_

Then Megan had an unpleasant feeling, as she bolted out of the car, and immediately went for the grassy ditch as she began to be sick to her stomach.

Finally finished heaving, leaving only large gasps of air, only to be coughed out, Megan laid on the gravel beside the highway, in front of her car. With tears in her eyes, he grabbed her phone- the only thing she managed not to get any of her stomach contents on.

She pressed the button combination for a speed dial contact, as the phone began to ring.

It continued to ring, until it went to voicemail.

"Dad- I need help."

* * *

><p>I sat beside Emily Makinson, my police lawyer, during the SIU inspection meeting.<p>

"It's just procedure." Emily assured me, as the SIU inspectors were over in one corner, quietly talking to each other.

Then my cellphone rang. Loudly.

"Cellphones off!" the SIU inspector yelled at me.

"Yeah, sorry," I said as I took the phone and turned down the ringer into vibrate without looking at the caller ID.

"C'mon guys-" Emily said, "What's the hold up here?"

After a few more minutes, I felt my phone vibrate, motioning another call.

The one SIU inspector gave me a dark look. _He obviously heard the vibration._

"My wife is probably waiting for me right outside the door- can I at least give her the phone to answer?"

The Special Investigations officer looked at me, and nodded yes.

I jumped up and opened the door.

"Hey Perra- you ready?" Jules asked, as he leaned up against the wall across from the door.

"Can't talk long," I said, "My phone's been ringing- you mind answering it?"

"Yeah sure." Jules said, as she took her husband's cellphone.

* * *

><p>After Perra went back into the room, Jules waited outside the room still, with the cellphone in her hand.<p>

Then suddenly it vibrated.

"Hello?"

"Is this Kristopher Perrasmith?" came a male's voice.

"Who I am talking to?" Jules asked, as she took her safety and security very seriously.

"Ontario Provincial Police Constable Aaron Coutu- I'm assuming you aren't Mr. Perrasmith?"

"No, I'm not." She answered, "What is this about?"

"Would you happen to know the next of kin, or closest family relation, after Mr. Perrasmith to a Megan Rosie Perrasmith?"

"Yeah, I am. I'm her step-mother."

"Mrs. Perrasmith?" Constable Coutu asked.

"Yeah, that's me." Jules replied, "What's going on?"

"I have your daughter in custody."

"What- why? What did she do?"

"She stopped alongside a section of the McDonald Cartier Highway that doesn't allow for roadside stops."

"That's no reason to arrest her!" Jules exclaimed, "It should only be a ticket."

"Don't worry ma'am, in this case- there will be no ticket. She's in rough shape, keeps on telling me she needs to talk with her father. I took her into custody for her protection. She's down at the detachment on Keele."

"Ok, thank you. What about her car?"

"I had the driver of the tow truck tow it to your home."

"Thank you. I should be down there shortly."

After hanging up, Jules was already eating her words.

_Shortly? I can't be down there shortly, I have to wait for Perra._

"Spike!" she yelled from down the hall, as she ran up to meet him before he left.

"Yeah- what's going on Jules?" he asked.

"Can you do me a big favor?"

"Anything- what do you need?"

"Can you pick up Megan at the OPP Station on Keele?"

* * *

><p>Spike drove down to the OPP station and picked up Megan. While he drove her back to the SRU station, there wasn't much talking, which was bugging Spike, so he figured he should say something.<p>

"So- what did you do to get arrested by the OPP?"

Megan looked over to Spike. "I don't want to talk about it."

"How do you think your dad is going to take it?"

"What do you mean?"

"He idolizes you Megan. He's proud of you. He's always talking about your achievements. Sometimes we send him for coffee to shut him up."

Megan bit her lip. "I wasn't arrested. It was protective custody. Haley's-"

"Your mother?" Spike asked, as he turned the last corner.

"She's not my mother, Jules is. She's been trying to contact me all day, and I don't want to talk to her. When I was coming home from school I got a text from her, and after that, I couldn't take it. I was sick to my stomach on the side of the highway and passed out in front of my car."

"Hey," Spike said, "Everyone passes out on or beside the highway."

Megan smiled back to Spike's comforting words, "Spoken like someone who has."


	27. Different Shades

**A/N: Before I start, I must give warning. Although this fiction is rated T under FanFiction guidelines, and will continue to do so, the content of the following chapter may disturb some readers. If you are easily offended and/or disturbed by "indecent" acts, I strongly urge you to not read this chapter.**

* * *

><p>"Ok, team!" Greg yelled out in the gym, "Gear up because this afternoon, we're going on patrol!"<p>

"Oh yeah!" Spike exploded with excitement, as he started to dash out of the gym.

Greg just followed the excited Spike with his eyes, as he shook his head after Spike left the gym.

"And will someone please pass onto Mr. Scarlatti that it'll be Eddie and Spike as alpha, and Jules and Perra as bravo."

"What about you?" Ed asked, "You heading up a Charlie by yourself?"

"Naw, Ed, I'm staying behind, got some paperwork to do."

"Suit yourself." Ed said, as we all left the gym.

* * *

><p>Spike bounded into the locker room and opened his locker, and began to frantically put on his uniform.<p>

As he finished up, he felt the voicemail alert vibration from his cellphone.

After punching in the activation and access numbers, he heard the message.

"Hey Spike. It's Sam. I, uh, just wanted to talk to you. I know you're a busy guy and all, but I just wanted to talk to you before I do this, so if you could call me back, that'd be great."

_Samtastic wanting to get back in touch. Wonder why? Hmm- doesn't help much that he didn't leave his number in the message, since I deleted his contact from my phone- needed the space for the Angry Birds update._

* * *

><p>"So- what part of the city you want to hit first?" I asked Jules, as I pulled out of the SRU garage, right behind Ed.<p>

"Well, Ed turned left, so we might as well turn right." Jules said, "Hospital district?"

"Let's try Bayview first."

During my turn, I noticed that Jules had turned her radio off, so I turned off mine as well.

"Why are we going off the record?" I asked.

"Are you mad at Megan?"

I looked at Jules, as I came to a red light- "Why would I be mad at her?"

"About last week- coming home early from school, about being arrested, about Haley-"

"I'm not mad at her." I said, as I turned my radio back on, "Can we not talk about it?"

"Talk about what?" Ed asked over the radio.

"It's nothing Ed."

"Talk about what?" he repeated.

"Ed- give it a rest."

"Perra, this can go on all day- talk about what?"

"About Megan."

"Ok." Ed said, as he let it go.

* * *

><p>"Ed," Spike said, as covered his headset mic, and removed it.<p>

Ed followed suit. "What's up Spike?"

"You should listen to this."

"What is it?"

"It's a message Sam left on my phone."

Spike hit a few buttons on the cellphone as the message played back.

"Hey Spike. It's Sam. I, uh, just wanted to talk to you. I know you're a busy guy and all, but I just wanted to talk to you before I do this, so if you could call me back, that'd be great."

"What do you think it means?" Spike asked.

"You guys were close, right?" Ed asked, "Went out- clubs, bars, and other miscellaneous night life offerings?"

"Yeah."

"He deploys in a month, so he probably wants to get together and hang out again before he leaves."

"How do you know when he deploys?"

"I just know- I'm a smart guy."

* * *

><p>"Perra," Winnie's voice came over the radio, "911 got a call- from a Lauren Perrasmith. You know her?"<p>

"My adopted sister- what's going on?"

"She's reporting a suspicious person in her neighborhood. Dispatch flagged her, because it's the third call they've got from her in the past week about suspicious persons."

"Copy that. Ed- can I take it?"

"Take it." Ed informed over the radio, "But stay blue and objective."

I knew exactly where she lives, so I didn't need the GPS co-ordinates, but Winnie uploaded them anyways into the vehicle's GPS enabled radio.

Once there, me and Jules got out of the truck. As I got out, I radioed into Winnie, "Team One Bravo Unit on Patrol, at the scene of a possible 10-6, residence belonging to Lauren Ann Perrasmith."

We walked up to the front door, and I knocked.

"Oh, god, I didn't think they'd send you." Lauren said, as she opened the door.

"Do you mind if we enter your home?" I asked.

"Yeah, yeah, sure." Lauren said, as she let us in, "Hey Jules."

"Hey Lauren." Jules said, "So we heard that you're reporting a suspicious person. Where was this person when you last saw him or her?"

"It's a him." She said, as she showed us to a window, "He was just here. You can still see where his nose was rubbing up against the window."

"I'll go out and check it." Jules said, as she went outside.

As soon as Jules left, I tossed the headset out of my ear and onto my back, so it couldn't pick up my voice, as I gave my sister a hug. "You sure you're ok? How's Ella?"

"She's at Mike's."

"Mike Roland?" I asked, "Why?"

She sat down.

"On Monday, when I woke up, I looked out the window in my bedroom, all I saw was a man staring right at me."

"You called the police, right?"

"Yeah, and they came and they did a big investigation. Took molds of footprints in the backyard, talked to the neighbors, everything."

"Then what happened?"

"I was coming from one client's house to another client's when I saw the same man."

"And you called the police again." I finished.

"Yeah, and they didn't believe me. All they told me is that it probably looked like him."

"Perra-" came Jules' voice over the headset, which I had put back in.

I motioned to Lauren that I'd be a minute, as I got up and walked away.

"What's up?" I asked.

"There was definitely someone here. I see footprints and- is she nearby?"

"No. What else was there?"

"You're not going to like it. There's semen on the brick out here."

* * *

><p>"Repeat that again Jules?" Ed asked, "What's on the wall?"<p>

"There's semen on the exterior wall." Jules repeated, "We got a pervert around here."

"Call the Crime Investigation Unit," Ed said, "Alpha unit en route- Winnie, send us the GPS co-ordinates."

I walked back to Lauren.

"Laur-" I started.

"Do you believe me?" she asked.

"Yes, I do." I said, "And I'm not saying that because I'm your brother, ok?"

She nodded.

"Ok, Lauren," I continued, "I'm going to get you to a safe place, ok? I want you to call Mike and have him bring Ella to the SRU building on Lesmill, ok?"

Again she nodded.

"Winnie," I ordered over the radio, "I need a cruiser down here immediately, for safe extraction of victim Lauren Ann Perrasmith to SRU Headquarters- do you copy?"

"10-4 Perra. Sending a unit right away."

* * *

><p>Once Lauren was safely in a cruiser, Spike and Ed showed up.<p>

"We might be able to pull some images from the cameras out here." Spike said.

"What cameras?" I asked.

"This neighborhood is a criminal hotspot for break and enters, robberies, and domestics, so the city spent close to a hundred thousand dollars installing cameras on light poles around here."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I was part of the installation team."

I gave a smirk to Ed, as I pulled him aside.

"So- what's the protocol here?" I asked.

"We fan out. Leave Spike on intel. We'll search this place inside and out, if there's one thing I hate, its perverts."

"Aren't we all perverts?" I asked, "In one shape or another?"

"In what way exactly?" Ed asked, as Jules approached us.

"I know which way." She said with a wink in my direction.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't see that." Ed said, "Let's work this slowly. We got 3 quadrants- I'll take quad B, Jules in C and Perra in A. We got uniforms on each intersection leading into this place. Spike- if you get anything- send it to the PDAs!"

"Copy that."

* * *

><p>Me, Ed and Jules split up to cover our quadrants.<p>

Jules had reported in finding two young teenaged boys, walking around. She questioned them a bit about what they were doing, and she seemed satisfied with the answers.

"The CIU just got a sample of the 'fluids', and they're testing it now against the Sexual Offenders Registry." Spike relayed.

I looked around, looking for the suspect, meanwhile though, my thoughts were on something else…

_Why in god's name would Haley be contacting Megan? She knows damn well that it's a contradiction of our divorce settlement. And what's this about wanting money? Doesn't have enough? Got into some bad habits after our divorce? Yeah, that sounds about right, since I could always remember her breaking out the bubbly at every damn occasion. Hell- after she gave birth to Matthew, what were her first words to me? Not 'our first boy' or anything like that it was 'do you have any champagne in the car?' _

Then I saw someone move in the shadows.

"Police- SRU! Stop right there!" I yelled, as I ran after the guy.

He didn't give up much of a chase, but it was enough to get my heart pumping.

"Been looking in any windows tonight?" I asked.

"What?"

"Windows!? You looking into windows, maybe touching yourself as you do it?"

"Calm yourself." Ed told me over the radio.

"Spike- you got my location?"

"Yeah, reading your GPS signal."

"Send a cruiser to my position."

I put a set of plastic zip cuffs on the man, as we waited for a cruiser.

"You can't arrest me," he said, "I wasn't doing nothing."

"You weren't doing anything," I corrected, "But you did run away from me when I approached, and you're going to be charged with evading police custody."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Jules opened a fence into a backyard. "Anybody in here?" she yelled out, as she continued to enter.<p>

As she turned the corner, she saw a woman in a bikini, stretched out on a lawn chair, with headphones on.

Jules approached her. As soon as the woman saw her, she pulled out the headphones, and said "Can I help you?"

"I'm Julianna Perrasmith, I'm with the Police Strategic Response Unit. Have you seen anyone suspicious in the neighborhood over the past week?"

"There's this guy who I've seen walk up and down the street a lot."

"That's great, can you give me a description?"

"Short brown hair, I'd guess like maybe 5' 10", skinny- sometimes he's wearing glasses."

"How old would you say this man is?"

"He's definitely not a man- probably 17 or 18."

"Alright, thank you." Jules thanked, as she left.

As soon as she was back out on the sidewalk, she radioed in "Ed, Spike, Perra- I got a possible description. Woman said that she's seen him walk up and down the street a lot. Short brown hair. Approximately 5 feet, ten inches, and in his late teens- could be a 17 or 18 year old we're dealing with."

"That's great Jules." Spike said, "Look up- any nearby street lights?"

"Yeah, one right out front her home."

"Do you see an ID number on the pole? Should be about 20 feet up off the ground."

"Yeah, number 45."

"Fantastic. Looking up the camera attached to pole number 45, and I'll grab a snapshot."

* * *

><p>After Ed told Perra to calm himself, he saw a group of four teenaged girls sitting out in their front lawn.<p>

"Good day, girls, I'm Officer Ed Lane, with the SRU- see anyone suspicious tonight?"

"No, not really." One of them said.

"What do you mean by not really?"

"Well, we did see a senior from our high school about 20 minutes ago. He probably just wants to see where we live, that's all."

"Have you ever seen him around here before?" Ed asked.

"No- I think he lives downtown."

"Ok, thank you."

"Picture of the possible suspect on the PDA." Spike announced.

Ed took out his PDA and showed the picture to the girls. "This him?"

"Yeah, that's him. Is he in trouble?"

* * *

><p>Finally, we finished clearing the quadrants.<p>

"Nothing." I said.

"We got something though." Ed said, "We got a description, and with that description, a picture and a positive match and motive."

"We got a name?"

"No," Ed said, "They didn't know him, just recognized him."

"We've checked everywhere, Ed." Jules pointed out, "We sure no one slipped past the coppers at the intersections?"

"They haven't radioed anything in." came Ed's reply.

"So where would he be?" I asked.

"Return to the scene of the crime?" Jules suggested, "You know you're being chased, you go back to the last place you felt pleasure."

"That's sick." I stated.

"Spike-" Jules said, "Is CIU still at the house?"

"No- they're gone back to the lab. They couldn't finish the tests on site."

"It's worth a try." Ed said, "Fall back to the victim's residence- first SRU officer on scene- perform a perimeter sweep."

* * *

><p><em>Maybe it was my drive to get there, but I was the first one back.<em>

_Ok- performing perimeter sweep._

Then I heard something in the backyard.

"Spike- on me- exterior white wall," I muttered into the radio "stay blue."

Spike slowly crept behind me. Together we used the shadows from the trees, thanks to the falling sun to conceal us.

"I got him." I whispered over to the radio, as I confirmed with the photo on the PDA, "I got our suspect."

"Go for it."

"Police-SRU! On the ground- now!" I yelled.

At the same time, Spike yelled, "Police- do not move!"

I approached him, and noted that his pants were partially down, as he stood in front of the window that looked into my 3-year old niece's room.

"Pants down, looking into a window?" I said to him, as I put on a set of plastic zip cuffs, "You just might be the guy we're looking for. You come here often?"

He didn't say anything.

I slammed him up against the brick of the house, "I said, do you come here often?!"

"Officer Perrasmith," came Ed's voice from behind me, "Stand down. We got EMT's on site- they'll take a sample and send it to CIU."

"Who wants to bet it's gonna match?" I asked

* * *

><p>Back at the SRU headquarters, Ed debriefed us with the help of Greg as a third party investigator.<p>

"Strategic Response Unit Officer Kristopher Perrasmith returned to the victim's residence and apprehended one Thomas Gagnon. When tested against the fluid specimens taken by Criminal Investigations Unit, Mr. Gagnon's semen did match the semen found at the scene of the crime. Mr. Gagnon was then arrested by Constable Eric Hawn for public indecency, public nudity, trespassing in the 4th degree and invasion of privacy under the Federal Privacy Act." Ed summarized. "We good?"

We all nodded.

"That was excellent, Eddie," Greg commented, "I think I'll have to stay here more often."

After we all signed the sealed transcript, me and Eddie went to the locker room to change.

"You ok Perra?" Ed asked, as he pulled a black shirt on, that said 'SRU' in small lettering underneath the neck opening.

"I'm fine Ed."

"Yeah?" Ed asked, as he sat down in front of my locker, "Because what I saw out there, was an officer who couldn't stay objective. Are we going to have a problem?"

"No sir." I said.


	28. Training of the Dogs

I sat in the crowd of all the other parents. Sitting right beside me- my wife of two years, Julianna Perrasmith- just as happy as I am to be here.

"And now, to induct a new Toronto Police Rover Crew." The speaker said, "To explain the purpose of this Rover Crew, we call upon Sargent Greg Parker, of the Toronto Police Service, currently serving in the Strategic Response Unit, and a member of the Strategic Response Unit Administration Team."

The entire crowd cheered. Jules sent out a sarcastic whistling noise.

"I heard that." Greg said, "And I have a good idea who it was too. For starters, I'd like to thank the Toronto Police Service President Chris Walker for being here, along with all the Sargents of all the divisions of the force who are blessed with Rover Crews. This year will mark the first year of a Strategic Response Rover Crew, which will be compiled with some of the finest police recruits at Toronto's own Humber College. The Toronto Police Service and Humber College have collaborated for several years in giving the real world experience of policing and enforcement to some very lucky Humber College Police Foundations students. What does a Rover Crew mean for the Strategic Response Unit? What purpose will a Rover Crew provide the Strategic Response Unit? Not only will the students on this Rover Crew gain valuable experience in squad based tactical policing, but they will also be provided with psychological preparedness, suspect profiling, and team based tactical training, all of which are usually taught in the Strategic Response Unit Officer Induction Training Module. Along with this training, the members of the Rover Crew will be called upon to assist and learn from some of the best Strategic Response Unit team members. The students in this crew will be expected to attain a minimum of 50 volunteer hours a month, on top of their course demands. And now, my favorite part- I'd like to ask the following students to come up on stage to receive their SRU Rover Crew epaulettes and badges; Christina Walker, Justin Benedict, James Fortier, and Robert Mane."

These students appeared on stage and they accepted their gear.

"On top of these students," Greg continued, "I'd like to ask Megan Perrasmith to please come on up. Megan Perrasmith is currently one of the two Humber Police Foundations Class Sargents, and currently has an average of 93%- the highest in her class. Ms. Perrasmith will be the SRU Rover Crew's Sargent."

The crowd gave her a huge round of applause as she went up on stage and got her gear.

"I'd also like to note that Megan Perrasmith's parents are in this crowd somewhere, and they are Strategic Response Unit Officers Kristopher and Julianna Perrasmith."

* * *

><p>After the induction, there were some light snacks put on the table behind the sitting area. Most of the other parents were taking pictures of their kids with their uniforms on, or with the Sargent that inducted them onto their respective SRU Rover Crew.<p>

"Congratulations Megan." I said, as I wrapped my arms around her, as she stood near the back.

"I'm proud of you." Jules said, as she hugged her too.

"Aww, isn't that nice?" Greg said with a smile, as he chewed on a piece of brownie, "I suppose you want a picture?" he asked me.

"Don't worry, boss, I don't think so."

Me and Jules quietly laughed.

"Haha- very funny," Greg said, as he answered his vibrating cellphone, "Go for Parker. Yeah. Yeah- ok. Call Eddie and Spike in. No- they're here with me at the Rover Induction ceremony."

"What's going on?" Jules asked.

"Missing child," Greg said, as we all started to walk together towards the door, "Disappeared. Mom looked away for a few minutes and she's gone."

"We might as well go right to the station- we're not too far." I said to Jules.

She nodded, "What about you Megan?"

"How am I going to get home?" Megan asked, "You were my ride."

I smiled, as I tossed Megan the keys to my new truck, "Be careful- we'll ride with Mr. Brownie."

* * *

><p>The three of us walked into the SRU building, and quickly changed from our formal attire to our dark grey uniforms.<p>

As we walked out from the locker rooms, we saw Ed and Spike waiting for us at the dispatcher's desk, where Winnie sat.

"Sorry guys," she said, "Team Eight is at an armed domestic."

"What do we have?" Greg asked.

"4 year old Trisha Mines, taken from her front yard. Neighbors don't remember seeing anything suspicious. Mom doesn't have any enemies, or knows anyone who would want to hurt her daughter."

"Father?" Ed asked.

"Deceased." Winnie said, "Car accident."

"Alright, we'll go to the home, talk to Mrs. Mines," Greg said, "Spike, Ed and Perra will look for any clues. If nothing comes up, we'll start a radial search pattern."

"Copy that." Me and Spike replied in unison.

* * *

><p>Once at the home, Ed and I started scanning the scene, while Spike worked on a laptop, tapping into nearby traffic cameras. Meanwhile, Jules and Greg spoke to the mother.<p>

"Do you have a picture of your daughter?" Jules asked.

"Yes, right here." She said, as she handed Jules a picture of the small child wearing a pink jumpsuit jumping into a pile of leaves.

She immediately ran into the truck, and passed the picture to Spike. "Need to get an Amber Alert out ASAP, Spike."

"I'm on it." Spike said, "Jules?"

"Yeah?"

Spike looked into Jules' eyes.

"Nothing, it's nothing."

"You got something to say to me, pal?" Jules said, as she smacked Spike on the arm.

"Nothing, ok?"

Jules shook off Spike and as she went back outside.

As she approached Parker and Mrs. Mines, she saw Greg doing his best to try to comfort the crying mother.

"I went back into the house…" she said in between cries.

"Farah-" Jules said, as she called her by name, "We're going to get your daughter back ok?"

"She's gone…"

"No, she isn't. You just have to have hope, ok? You see those men over there?" Jules said, as she pointed to Perra and Ed, "They are both fathers, and they will not stop until we find your daughter, ok?"

As Jules and Parker started to walk away, Greg commented, "Good job Jules."

* * *

><p>"We got a hit from the Amber Alert." Spike said, "Woman walking down Pinecrest Road saw a blonde woman with a girl she identified as Trisha."<p>

"Copy that Spike," Ed said, "Me and Perra are on the way. Jules, come with us, we may need to talk this woman down if she's violent."

Me and Jules piled into one SUV with Ed, as we rushed to the scene.

Once at Pinecrest Road, we slowed down and looked out the windows, trying to find the suspect.

"Any identifiers?" I asked Spike, "What she was wearing? Scars, tattoos- anything?"

"Nope." Came Spike's reply, "Dispatch couldn't keep her on the line."

"Right there, Ed." Jules said, as she pointed to a taller blonde woman, holding Trisha in her arms.

"Attaching chest camera," I said over the radio, as I deployed a small camera onto my vest, and pressed the on button, "Let's see if we can identify her."

"Police- SRU!" Ed said, as he got out, with the two of us behind him as we formed up on the suspect, "Got it?"

"Got it," Jules said to Ed, as they switched spots, putting Jules in the front, as me and Ed went shoulder to shoulder behind her.

"Grabbed a snapshot, and running it through the databases." Spike replied, "Might take a few minutes."

"Ma'am," Jules started, "These guys are with me. What's the name of the little girl that you're holding?"

"It's Trish." She replied, "I'm taking her some place safer. Some place where people will love her."

"Got it!" Spike exclaimed, "Flagged- doesn't say why, but I can tell you that she used to be a foster mom, until all of her kids got adopted."

"Name?" I asked.

"Margaret Bain." Spike answered.

"Jules-" came Greg, "Trisha was adopted. Spike, look back to see if Margaret ever took care of Trisha as a foster mom."

"Could be restricted," Spike replied, "That's under the Family Services Act, very limited FOI on that."

"Pull whatever strings you have to."

* * *

><p>"Ok, Margaret," Jules started, "Trisha is not your daughter, ok?"<p>

"I never said she was."

"Then why did you take her?"

"Because she needs people who will love her, she needs a father and a mother."

"Margaret, do you know Trisha's mother?" Jules asked, "Because I was talking to her, and I know that she loves her."

"How do you know that?" Margaret asked, "Are you the one who trained the dogs?"

I looked over to Ed with a quizzical look.

"Spike-" Ed started, "Look to see if Mrs. Bain has been diagnosed with anything- emphasis on mental, I'm thinking severe or acute paranoia disorder, or bipolar."

"Copy that- looking into the medical records."

* * *

><p>"Jules, we getting anywhere?" Greg asked.<p>

"Negative." I responded.

"Ed-" Greg said, "You have a read on the subject? Do you think she might try to hurt Trisha?"

"It's hard to say boss." Ed replied, "I can place a rubber bullet into her chest. Jules can move forward and get Trisha out from her arms."

"Does she have any weapons?" Parker asked again.

"None that we can see." I answered, "I can second Jules on the approach after Ed lands the rubber, make sure we get Trisha and detain Margaret."

I could visualize Greg nodding, "Ok- do it."

In one fluid movement, Ed dropped his live ammunition magazine from the handgun and dropped in a rubber bullet magazine. As soon as I heard the shot fire, which made Margaret fall to her knees, I ran forward with Jules.

Once I knew that Jules had Trisha, I moved in closer and placed cuffs on Margaret.

"Margaret Bain, you are under arrest for the kidnapping of a child under five years of age and for trespassing on the property belonging to Farah Mines. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be used against you in Court. You have the right to have an attorney. Upon transfer into Toronto Police Services Lock-up, you will be given the chance to make one phone call. Your fingerprints, DNA and other biological specimens may be collected for the purposes of a trial at court. Do you understand?"

She didn't respond. _It is a lot to take in. I do usually repeat it once or twice…_

"Do you understand?" I asked again. "You are…"

"Yes, I understand." She responded.

* * *

><p>Back at the station, Jules got changed. After getting into some casual clothes that she kept in her locker, she knocked on the men's change room door as she yelled in "Decent?"<p>

"Yeah." Came a reply.

Jules went in and saw only Spike changing. "Where's Perra? What about Ed?"

"Ed just left. I guess Sophie wasn't too happy with him leaving in the middle of their meal. Boss wanted to talk to Perra." Spike explained.

"What was today about?" Jules asked.

"What do you mean?" Spike asked back.

"You wanted to ask me something, but you didn't."

"It's nothing, Jules- let it go."

"I can't Spike- what do you want?"

"Is Megan ok?" Spike asked in frustration.

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"Because we usually text, email or something like that and she hasn't replied to me since I picked her up from the OPP station- I just want to know if she's ok."

"Why do you care so much, Spike?" Jules wondered aloud.

"She's like a friend to me Jules. I lost Lewis, I lost Sam, and she's all I have."

"Really?" Jules asked, "She's that kind of friend? Not another type?"

"What are you getting at?" Spike retorted.

"You've never thought of…"

"Why would I think about her like that?" Spike yelled at Jules, "My dad's dead, my mother moved back to Italy, I watched my best friend be blown to bits by a landmine I couldn't neutralize, and my other friend left me to go to Afghanistan where he has a good chance of being killed!"

"Ok, Ok," Jules said, "Why don't we talk about it?"

"Don't try to handle me." Spike said angrily, as he left the room.


	29. Broken

"Do you know why she might be doing this?" Greg asked me.

"I don't know. We haven't had a good talk in a while." I responded, "I never saw the point, you know?"

"So you have no clue why she is holding up a bank, and asking for three thousand dollars?"

"Can I get back to work?" I asked.

* * *

><p>"Dad!" Megan yelled from the top of the stairs.<p>

"What do you want?" I asked, as I got up from the couch, where me and Jules sat, in uniform and went to the bottom of the steps.

"Can you give me a hand with this?" Megan asked.

I walked up the steps and into Megan's room.

Over the past two years, she had really made it her own. Gone were the white walls, painted a light grey with a black stripe halfway down. Her bed laid north to south, as the window faced east. Just inside her door was her desk with her computer. Behind the computer, she had a white board where I could tell she had written reminders to herself. Opposite of the mirrored closet doors, was a stationary bike- one of the old SRU gym units when we had received a new model.

"What's up?" I asked.

"This uniform, it's…"

I looked into the mirror, where she was looking into it as well, as she had changed into her SRU Rover Crew Uniform- which was a modified Humber College Police Foundations uniform. The only differences were the SRU Rover Crew patches on the sleeves of the shirt, and a proper pair of pants- one that could support a two piece duty belt and didn't have the pockets on the legs.

"I'm proud of you, you now that, right?" I said, as I approached her and fixed her collar, "The rear of the collar was popped."

I looked over her uniform.

"Let's go."

* * *

><p>Me, Jules and Megan rode in the same vehicle together to the SRU building.<p>

"So, I was able to get today's schedule from Spike." Jules said.

"Oh yeah?" I asked, "How? I thought he was mad at you?"

"I don't think so." Jules said, "I swiped his phone for a few seconds and sent the schedule to my phone."

"Why was Spike mad at you?" Megan asked.

"It was just something I said." Jules explained, "Looks like the Crew is hanging with Team One all day."

"I'll have to put up with you all day?" Megan joked from the back seat.

I laughed, as I scrolled through Jules' phone, "So, meet and greet at 10, tour at 10:15. End up in the basement, and do the Rover Crew shooting test at 11. Group workout in the gym at noon, then Spike's running the Crew through an equipment cage tour, finished with a how-to of equipment cage clean-up and maintenance of equipment and firearms."

"Sweet," Megan said from the back, "I'll finally get to touch an MP5."

"Well, we're going to be early." Jules said, as we pulled into the SRU parking lot at 9:30am, "You can just relax with us if you want Megan."

* * *

><p>"That's not the best entry point. " Spike spoke to Ed as we entered the debriefing room with Megan in tow.<p>

"Megan- glad you're here," Ed said, "Can you tell Spike to shut up?"

I sat down beside Jules, and Megan sat down across from Spike.

"What are we talking about?" Megan asked with interest.

"I'm glad you asked." Greg said with a smile.

Greg pressed some buttons on a remote, as a large building layout came up on the projector screen.

I recognized the recon as belonging to a warrant that we were going to act on tomorrow.

"According to Ed," Greg explained to Megan, "Our Team Leader and Tactician, our best entry point is here from A5. Spike on the other hand thinks we should enter a bravo on A7, and an alpha on A5."

Megan looked over the plans with interest.

"Why would you want to split up the team?" Megan asked, "It's a small place- enter from one point, and perform a full sweep. If you have two splinter units enter at different points, you gain the probability of losing your suspect in a blind zone."

"Would you look at that-" Greg said, "They're already discussing blind zones."

"No, actually Mr. Parker," Megan started.

"Hey- as long as you're on my Rover Crew call me Greg."

"Well, Greg," Megan said, "It's more like I'm reading ahead."

Greg nodded his head, as he pressed some buttons on the laptop on the table, as a tactical simulation started on the blueprint.

"See this unit here?" Greg continued to explain, "Watch the point man in this unit- let's call him Ed for fun."

"Boss…" Ed said with a laugh.

"Continue watching Megan. This is why Spike thinks it's better for two teams to enter- see this open area? When Ed enters this area, he's blind from around this corner, whereas, if two splinter units were to enter, bravo unit would be clearing the opposite side of this corner, therefore neutralizing this open area before alpha unit got there."

"But," Megan provided, "The two units would have to be timed perfectly, because if they're not, and bravo unit clears that open area first, there is still this corner to attend to, which would be considered a blind spot."

"And how could we solve this if we entered as a full unit from A5?" Ed asked, as the conversation started to interest him.

"Well, you could never fully solve it, when you think about it." Megan explained, "But you can be more prepared- the entire unit enters from A5, with your point men with shields. When you reach W4 off of Black Wall, your pre-determined bravo splits, backtracks through the washroom, which connects to the master bedroom. From there, bravo can either dynamically clear the blind spot, or recon the area for your suspect."

Ed looked up from the building plan on the tablet he was looking at, back up to the same plan on the projector screen. "That's brilliant- ok team, suit up, we drill in five."

"Ed, we can't drill today," Greg reminded him, "We have the Rover Crew."

"Ok- Team One, report for duty tomorrow at 0500 hours instead of 1000 hours- we're drilling this tac plan at least five times tomorrow morning."

We all groaned loudly.

* * *

><p>"Ok, its 10," Greg said, "Let's go wait for the Crew to show up at the desk."<p>

We all reluctantly got up and followed Greg to the dispatcher's desk.

"Oh, Greg," Megan said, as she ran up beside him, "There's been some changes."

"Changes?"

"Yeah- pretty much everybody but me and the other girl who got selected for the SRU Rover Crew backed out. I guess they were either expecting to get onto another Crew, or that they wouldn't make it."

"So who do we have?" Greg said.

"My instructor emailed me the new roster this morning." Megan replied, "Here it is."

Megan handed over a piece of paper to Greg.

"In the future Megan, if you have an email or something like that, that I need, just send it to my PDA. Your mom or dad should have the number."

"Ok." Megan replied.

Suddenly the front doors opened and four teenaged girls walked in, in their SRU Rover Crew uniforms.

"Oh you have to be kidding me…" I heard Ed quietly mutter.

"Ok, quick attendance check," Greg said, "I know we have Megan Perrasmith. Christina Walker?"

"Here." She responded.

"Looks like you and Megan are the only originals on the Crew."

"Looks like it." Christina replied.

"Jessica Kibbee, Adele Fawn and Valerie Pauze?"

Each time, after their name was said, each of them responded with 'Here'.

"Ok," Greg said, "My name is Greg Parker- call me Greg. I'll be your SRU Contact Person, although I may not always be the person you'll be working with. Starting from my left to the end, is my Team- SRU Team One Team Leader Edward Lane, call him Ed."

"Don't call me bald." Ed commented.

"Beside him is Constable Michealangelo Scarlatti, we call him Spike. He's also our Technologist and Bomb Technician. On the end are Kristopher and Julianna Perrasmith. We call Kris Perra because he's cool. He's also the team's CQB Expert. Anyone know what CQB stands for?"

One girl raised her hand.

"I'll get this, hold on." Greg started- "Jessica?"

"Close Quarters Combat."

"Correct." Greg continued, "Julianna, we just call her Jules, because everybody needs a nickname. She's usually 2nd Negotiator. Any questions?"

Another hand went up. "Valerie," she said, "Is everybody on your team cross-trained? Can they perform other tasks?"

"Excellent question Val, do you mind me calling you Val?" Greg asked.

She nodded.

"Yes, everybody is cross-trained. That being said, if there was a bomb call, Spike would be the first contact in the field, unless he is unable or cannot do so. Same thing goes with Ed, Perra, and Jules. If for whatever reason, we need another person to cover CQB with Perra, Spike, Jules or Ed have the knowledge to do so. Alright, let's get started on the tour of this place."

"Hold on," Ed said, "What about nicknames for the Crew?"

"Really Ed?" Spike asked, "Why not just come up with it on the fly?"

"Alright."

* * *

><p>After the tour, shooting test and workout, Ed got his wish. By then, he had managed to find a pet name or nickname for each member in the crew.<p>

Jessica Kibee got Kibs as her nickname when Ed had mispronounced her name so many times that he just hyphenated it to Kibs.

Val was the natural shortened version for Valerie so everybody just accepted it, including her. Adele's however, was hard for Ed to pin down, so he thought that Adele would be just fine.

Everybody started calling Christina 'Chris' but Perra kept on thinking that they were addressing him, so they decided to call her by her last name- Walker.

Megan- being surrounded by SRU for years had already earned her stripes as Meg, so everybody just started calling her that.

After the workout, Perra and Jules were putting away the foam mat and the defend and attack mitts, as they were testing the Crew in hand to hand.

"Think she's doing any good?" Jules asked.

"She's doing good. Needs to work on her hand to hand, but good." I muttered to her.

"What's the holdup over there?" Greg asked, as they finished and walked over to the group.

"Ok," Greg said, "SRU Rover- you're going to go with Spike. He's going to show you the-"

"Team One hot call!"

"Winnie-" Greg yelled over.

"I'll call up Team Six from the basement to cover the Crew."

"Talk to me." Ed yelled out, as we started to gear up.

"Armed woman holding up First Continental Bank on York Street, asking for $3000." Winnie said, "No other information."

* * *

><p>Once on scene, I immediately went to work, and got a pair of eyes in by climbing onto the roof and using the pole camera.<p>

"We got ears yet?" Greg asked.

"Working on it." I replied, as I found the electrical box on the roof and reversed the phone lines and attached a wireless router to the signal.

"I got your signal." Spike replied to me, "But I still got nothing. We need to activate the phone lines."

"I'll work on that." Greg said, "Eddie- you got tactical options yet?"

"According to the security company, there's a locked and bolted door that leads to the safety deposit box room." Jules mentioned.

After climbing back down from the roof, I stood beside Ed at the door that Jules suggested.

"We can torch through that." I confirmed, "What about floor plans?"

"Coming at you." Spike replied, as I picked up the PDA.

After pressing some buttons, I brought up the plans so me and Eddie could view them.

"Torch the door, we're into the SDB room." I summarized, "From there, we can smoke and flash into the foyer. Use less lethal inside, and detain the subject."

"I just got off the phone with our subject." Greg said, "Jules, you got any more information?"

"Nothing useful."

"I'm sure I've heard this voice before. Grab a snapshot Spike, and reference through the SRU Incident & Case File database."

"Not critical incidents?" Spike asked.

"Nope."

"Getting the snapshot."

Inside the truck, Spike grabbed the video feed that the pole camera was transmitting. After viewing several minutes of the footage, he froze a good frame, and zoomed into the subject's face.

"Got a snapshot." Spike said into the radio, as he started rendering the image so it would come up clear instead of pixelated.

After the rendering, Spike looked at the image.

"Boss." He said, as he poked Parker in the back, who was comparing notes with Jules, "Look at this."

Greg turned around and looked at the image.

"Perra- do you mind reporting to command?"

* * *

><p>Confused as to why I would be reporting to command, instead of preparing our tactical entry with Ed, I got into the command truck.<p>

"Recognize her?" Greg asked, as he pointed to the screen where Spike had captured the snapshot.

"Haley?" I asked out loud, "That's her. That's Haley."

Do you know why she might be doing this?" Greg asked.

"I don't know. We haven't had a good talk in a while." I responded, "I never saw the point, you know?"

"So you have no clue why she is holding up a bank, and asking for three thousand dollars?"

With confusion and anger stepping in I replied "Can I get back to work?"

"Can you stay objective and professional?" Greg asked.

"You bet I can."

I left the truck and went back to Ed, who had got the torches ready, in case we needed to enter.

"We got a read on our subject." Greg said, "Haley McLeod, ex-wife to Kristopher Perrasmith."

"Seriously?" Ed asked.

I nodded yes.

"Ok Team, listen up. I'm going to try to talk her down." Greg said, "Ed, if we need to go in, I want to keep Perra back. If she sees him, it might trigger an emotional response."

"Copy that." Ed replied.

"Hello?" came Haley's voice over the radio, as Greg's call into the back was being transmitted to our radios.

"Haley- this is Sargent Greg Parker."

"How do you know my name?" she interrupted.

"That's our game plan. We get to know who we have to talk to, who we have to help. Do you need help Haley?"

"No, I need three thousand dollars."

"Ok- I'll pass that along to my superiors, and they may be able to do that. How is everybody doing in there? Is everybody ok?"

"Yeah, they're fine, everyone's fine."

"Ok, thank you Haley. I want to let you know that you're being very co-operative and with your help, I'd like to resolve this peacefully, ok?"

"You don't know me! You don't know what I'm capable of! I just want my money!"

Then the line went dead.

" 'My money.' " Greg repeated, "Perra, did you or your ex-wife have an account at this bank?"

"We started savings accounts for the kids when they were born." I replied, "When Megan turned 18, the account matured and she withdrew the money and closed the account. That would mean there would only be an account for Matthew left."

"But still, 'my money'- is there any way she could withdraw that money before Matthew turned 18?"

"No- not without both of our signatures." I replied.

"But you're technically no longer Matthew's father, so how does that work?" Greg asked.

"To be honest, I don't know."

"Spike," Greg spoke to him, "Contact a lawyer that specializes in family services and get a branch manager on the line to see if she knows how she could withdraw the money."

"So what?" Ed asked, "Are we actually going to give her the money? Setting a bad example."

"We got tactical options to go through the front?" Greg asked.

"No." Ed said, "I'm not going through the front unless we have to, and only if we have to go lethal. I thought we were talking her down?"

"I know Ed, I'm just thinking if I can get a face to face with her, this might end up better."

"Ok." Ed gave in, "Me and Jules, alpha through the front with shields to cover the boss. Perra, Sierra across the street and into the bank."

"Less lethal?" I asked, as we started running back towards the trucks to change gear.

"No, lethal."

* * *

><p>After I got my Sierra perch setup I started watching the actions of Greg, Eddie and Jules, and putting together what I could hear over the radio, I started to gain a bit of perspective.<p>

"So what's the plan here boss?" Jules asked, as she and Ed formed up around him and started walking towards the main entrance, "Does she know who she's talking to? Does she remember you?"

"I don't think so Jules, and I would hope I can keep it that way."

Ed opened the doors and they entered the foyer.

"Alpha team inside." Ed commented over the radio, "Sierra, do you have the solution?"

"Behind a pillar," I responded, "draw her out. I'll have to double tap for glass."

"You good on intel boss?" Ed asked.

"Yeah, where do you want Spike?"

"Spike- second Perra, and tap on the glass for his sierra shot." Ed ordered, "Await your Scorpio Sierra One."

"Copy that." Came my automatic reply, as Spike came up from behind me, and put his hand on my shoulder, a signal that another member has your back.

"Haley McLeod," Greg yelled out, "My name is Sargent Greg Parker- we spoke on the phone. I just wanted to come in and see you, and to confirm that everybody is ok."

"They're fine!" Haley yelled back, "Where's my three thousand?"

"Haley, why do you need three thousand dollars? Are you in trouble? Is someone forcing the money from you?"

"Shut up!" she exclaimed, "Get your guys back, or I'll shoot."

"Ok, ok," Greg replied, "We're stepping back. Officers Lane and Perr- Callihan, step back."

"What did you say?" Haley asked. "What did you start to call her?"

"I was just ordering her to step back- like you asked, remember?"

"Keep them back! All I want is my money!"

"Your money, ok- Haley, is this money for your son? For Matthew?"

"How do you know his name?" Haley asked, as she stepped out from behind the pillar that blocked my shot, "How do you know his name?"

"I have the solution." I informed Greg.

"Hold, Sierra, hold." Greg muttered, "I'm a smart guy Haley. I did my homework before I came in here. Something tells me that you're smart too, right? Architecture, that's some complex stuff, am I right?"

She took a few steps closer to Ed, Jules and Greg.

"What did you say your name was?"

"My name is Sargent Greg Parker, with the SRU."

"Greg Parker…" she thought out loud.

Suddenly, she must've remembered the name, as she brought up the gun, "Sargent Greg Parker! The Parker who had my ex-husband shot, the Parker that caused my daughter to be taken hostage by a man who…"

"I didn't facilitate those things Haley, I didn't." Greg assured her. "I didn't have that guy shoot him, and I definitely did not order the kidnapping of Megan."

"Julianna…" she thought again, as she gained confidence and grasped the gun with two hands, like her ex-husband trained her to, "You married him, didn't you? You're the bitch who my daughter- my own flesh and blood calls her mother!"

"What is this all about Haley?" Greg asked, "Why don't you lower the gun and we can talk about that?"

"No more talking! You're going to get me my money, and then I'm going to kill her- I'm going to kill _Julianna P__errasmith._"

"You don't want to do this, Haley." Parker started, "Because once you do that, you can't go back."

"Don't tell me what I can't do, Parker!" Haley screamed as she pointed the gun directly at Greg's face.

"Scorpio."

Spike shot out the window with an off-center shot that would be out of the way of both the suspect and the hostages. Milliseconds after the glass shattered, and while it was still falling, I fired my shot, which fatally implanted itself into the skull of my ex-wife.

* * *

><p>"Did you, at any point question the order of your superior?"<p>

_I thought about the question. Did I? Did I, at any point question the order to fatally shoot my ex-wife? Did I have time to question it? I all seemed like a blur._

_I got the order. Yes, that's right; I got the order to take the shot._

_Then Spike shot out the window…well then, no wonder I didn't have a chance. Spike shot the window, which gave away our position, and if I wouldn't have taken the shot, Haley probably would have taken cover._

_She might be still alive._

_Am I sad? Should I be sad? I probably should, I mean- I essentially played God. I made the decision to kill her. _

_No- wait, I didn't- Greg made it for me. I just acted upon it…._

"It's a simple question Mr. Perrasmith-" the SIU investigator asked me, "Did you question the order to shoot Mrs. McLeod?"

"What kind of question is that?" Emily asked- my lawyer, "Read the transcript. You know that it was his ex-wife and you also know that an SRU Officer is to follow the directive order given to him or her by his or her superior."

"It's just a question." He replied, "Did you question the order?"

"Don't answer that." Emily instructed, "I'd like to call upon a witness- for the purposes of the transparency of this critical incident."

"By all means." The investigator replied.

"Come on in!" Emily yelled.

I looked up to see Jules enter the room.

"How is this supposed to be relevant?" I whispered to Emily.

"Just watch, ok? When have I ever made you look bad?"

That one I had to think about.

"My point exactly." Emily whispered to me, "Julianna Perrasmith, some preliminary questions. You are in fact, are on Team One of the Strategic Response Unit, in the capacity of Constable, correct?"

"Yes." Came Jules' response.

"And on this diagram of the layout of the incident, where were you when Haley McLeod was shot?"

Jules pointed to her position.

"Now, Mrs. Perrasmith, why don't you tell me about the situation? Did you notice any delay or hesitation between the moments that Sargent Gregory Parker called Scorpio and when Mr. Perrasmith fired the shot that killed Mrs. McLeod?"

"No." came Jules' reply, "There was no delay between the two events."

"Excellent." Came Emily's response, "And in your professional opinion, was the order of a fatal shot justified?"

"Yes, Haley- Mrs. McLeod, had her firearm pointed at both myself and at my Sargent."

"Which is in contradiction of the Priority of Life code, correct?"

"Yes."

* * *

><p>"What's going on?" Megan asked Ed, who had just came out of the sealed debriefing room with Greg and Spike, "Where's mom and dad?"<p>

"No one told you?" Ed asked.

"Told me what?"

"That call, Megan- it was your biological mother who was holding up that bank. Haley escalated the situation and had a gun pointed at your mom and at Greg, and your dad was ordered to shoot Haley."

"What?" Megan asked, acting like she suddenly cared about her biological mother, "Is she ok?"

"Megan," Ed explained, "In that situation, your dad had to shoot to kill."

"Really?" Megan mouthed.

It was Megan's first time so close to a situation like this. She had seen her dad come home after killing someone, and sometimes even Jules, after her dad and Jules got married.

"Megan." Came a voice from behind her, where she sat on the bench.

She got up to see her dad standing in front of her, with her mother in tow. Without a thought, she wrapped her arms around her father in a tight embrace.

"It's ok dad. You were doing your job."

"Why don't we just go home?" I whispered to Jules and Megan, as I put my arms around them.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: A very emotionally ****charged chapter, yep. Sorry about the expletives in there, but they were carefully used. Gear up, Flashpoint fans, because I got some stone-cold, heart dropping drama coming your way that is going to throw you for a loop.**


	30. Blue Blood

Inside the bathroom, I could hear Jules sick to her stomach. I heard the next hurl, as I winced, wishing it would stop.

"You ok honey?" I asked, "If it helps, I think that Chinese last night buggered me up too."

_Yeah, the Chinese food, _Jules thought, _that must be it._

She could think of one other possibility as to why she had been sick to her stomach for the past hour, but at this moment, all she could think about was trying to aim for the toilet.

* * *

><p>"Why isn't mom coming?" Megan asked, as she got into her dad's truck, as they drove into the SRU headquarters.<p>

"She's not feeling too well. I'm sure you heard the events of this morning."

"Not for lack of trying." Megan said, "I had my headphones on, with my music blasted, and I could still hear her."

"When she gets going, she gets going." I said, as we turned onto Lesmill.

"How would you know? You've known her for the same amount of time that I have."

"Were you on the honeymoon with us?" I asked.

"Really?" Megan asked, with sarcasm, "That must've been romantic."

"It wasn't too bad. It was on the flight there. When we got to France and to our room, I let her sleep for the first night. Then on the second night…"

"Ok dad- too much information!" Megan exclaimed, "It's bad enough I have to hear the two of you going at it twice a day."

"Then why'd you ask?"

"I didn't!" Megan said, "And why again are we coming in today?"

"Glad you asked," I said, as I gave Megan a sideways glance, "Team one is providing security detail at the Tattoo Convention and Greg thought it would be a good idea to use the Rover Crew to cover more ground."

"That's pretty cool." Megan said, "Might get some inspiration."

"Inspiration for a tattoo?" I asked with concern.

"Don't even try dad, I've seen yours, so you have no reason to lecture me about tattoos."

"Do you know what my tattoo is?" I asked.

"No. What is it?"

"It's the military crest of the military division your great-grandfathers were in. Behind it is the ceremonial sword that your grandfather carried when he served in the Navy. You come from a deeply military family."

"And you're a cop." Megan said, "So what you're saying is that my blood runs blue?"

"Yep."

* * *

><p>"Ok, welcome Team One, and SRU Rover Crew." Ed said in the debriefing room, with me, Spike and the Rover Crew sitting around the table. Greg sat on a small desk across the room, overlooking Ed's debriefing style.<p>

"Tattoo Convention- lots of legit and illegitimate people, and that is why we'll have Spike, Kibs and Adele on access control. No one under the age of 17 is allowed in, unless under adult supervision. We may be looking at fake IDs, and fake names to get in, so stay sharp. Spike- bring along some ultra-violet lights to scan the IDs with. We'll be accepting driver's licenses and health cards only. Boss and Megan will be running command post, at Table 13. Table 13 is not only command post, but it is also SRU on display, so best behavior folks. That leaves myself, Perra and Val- we're alpha unit, and we'll be patrolling the floor, and responding to incidents as directed by command."

"Weapons?" I asked.

"Ideally none, but SRU Members will carry our side arms with less lethal rounds only. We'll also carry both standard and zip cuffs. The Rover Crew will carry nothing, except for a standard radio and headset. Spike- we got enough gear for the Crew?"

"Copy that." Spike said, as he lifted up a box, which had radios in it for the Rover Crew. "Took them from Team Four's equipment cage."

Me and Spike laughed.

"What's going on?" Greg asked.

"One of Donna's guys pretty much destroyed a Remmy, so she took one from our cage." I replied.

"Spike- seriously?" Greg asked with concern.

"Relax boss," Spike said, as he helped Adele with her radio, "Most of them are from ours, but we were one short, so I took it from Team Four's."

* * *

><p>Once settled in, and with the equipment setup, Greg had Megan running the auto-transcript machine.<p>

"Friday September 21st, 2012 at 1330 hours, Strategic Response Unit Team One and Rover Crew on scene for security detail at Toronto & Area Tattoo Convention. Alpha unit- what's your 20?"

I responded back, "Alpha unit patrolling north quad. Rolling into south, command."

"10-4 alpha," Megan replied, "Access unit- what's your status?"

"Access unit all ok and no harm, command unit- persons beginning to enter." Spike said.

"Keep the peace" Greg added.

* * *

><p>A younger man came up to the gate.<p>

"Sir, I'm going to need to see some identification." Adele said.

"I don't got any." He replied.

"Then I'm sorry sir, I cannot let you enter." Adele said in a firm voice.

About 20 feet away, Kibs was looking at a driver's license with the ultra-violet light, with Spike over her shoulder.

"You're good to go." Kibs said to the woman, as she passed her back the ID card, and let her in.

"Do you know what you're looking for?" Spike whispered to her.

"Yeah….I think." She replied, "Was that woman ok?"

"Yeah, she was fine." Spike said, as an older gentleman came up to the gate, "Sir, I know you're of age, but do you mind showing some ID so I can show the trainee what do to?"

The man looked at Spike, then at Kibs. "Yeah, sure." He said, as he pulled out his driver's license, "Everyone starts somewhere."

* * *

><p>"East quad secure, command unit." Val voiced over the radio.<p>

I nodded, as I liked Val's style.

"Alpha, I got a crowd converging on CCTV 15 yards to your west flank," came Megan, "Please respond."

Val looked up at me and Ed, who expected one of us to respond.

"10-4 command unit." She responded to Megan, "Alpha unit en route."

Once we got to the location I immediately saw a fight start to break out.

"Val, stay back." I said, "Police- stop right now!"

Almost right away, the two bare chested young men stopped fighting, as me and Ed put a pair of zip cuffs on them.

"Two men in custody," Val responded, as the crowd around the fight started to disperse, "How should I classify them as?"

"Violent behavior or public misconduct," Ed replied, "We'll take them to command to be processed, and they'll be transferred into Lock-up from there."

Val nodded, "Two men in custody for public misconduct. Arresting officers are Kristopher Perrasmith and Ed Lane. Bringing them to you command."

"10-4 alpha." Came Greg's response.

* * *

><p>"Contact police dispatch- two cruisers required immediately at MSG Convention Centre." Greg instructed Megan.<p>

She nodded, as she pressed a button on the radio, which would release the radio broadcast to the APB, or All-Police Bulletin, "This is SRU Command- cruisers required at MSG Convention Centre for transfer of custody of public disorderly persons."

"SRU Command- this is OPP Constable A. Coutu, I am available and close. Please advise."

Megan recognized the name of the OPP officer who had detained her, and looked to Greg for guidance.

He nodded.

"OPP A. Coutu, proceed to MSG Convention."

* * *

><p>A few hours later, Spike could tell that Adele and Kibs were getting tired.<p>

"Access unit- status?" Command unit asked.

"We're good. Tired, but good." Spike replied.

To Spike's left, Kibs had got a hand at reading the IDs. As she took one and looked for the signs that Spike had shown her, she didn't see any.

"Sir, how old are you?" she asked.

"It's right there." He said.

"Well, I'm asking you a question, and I'd appreciate it if you'd answer."

"Problem, Kibs?" Spike asked, as he walked over to her.

She scanned the ID through the light again for Spike to see.

"Sir," Spike asked, "When did you receive this license card?"

"When I turned 16." He answered, "That was a year ago."

"Well, sir, did you know that lying to a police officer is a criminal offense? Do you care to revise your previous statement?"

"No."

"Call it, Kibs." Spike instructed.

Kibs spoke into the radio, "Command unit, we have an access incident of an under-aged person attempting to breach the perimeter. Please advise."

"10-4 Access," Megan responded, "Dispatching alpha- Alpha unit be advised, we have an attempted perimeter breach in progress in south quad. What is your location?"

"Alpha unit in north quad." Ed responded, "Perra, Val, respond."

Together me and the Rover Crew member ran to the location of the attempted breach at gate two.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you again, leave immediately!" Spike exclaimed.

"Alpha unit sans Ed at scene of perimeter breach." Val radioed in, as she stepped into the situation, "Sir, leave now, or you will be arrested!"

Once the man's attention was on Val, Spike drew out his handcuffs and tried to cuff him, but the man was resisting.

"Stop resisting!" Spike yelled.

I drew my handgun, and ensured that the less lethal rounds were in it, "Stop resisting, or you will be shot!"

Once he knew the severity of the situation, he stopped resisting, and Spike got the cuffs on him.

"One person in custody," Val responded to command, "Alpha unit sans Ed will release subject of attempted breach of perimeter and resisting arrest to Command Unit."

* * *

><p>Megan and Greg were leaned back in their chairs. It was nearing 5pm, which was the closing time.<p>

Megan noticed a man approaching the SRU desk.

"Can I help you sir? She asked.

"Yeah, my son, I can't find him. I told him to stay outside while I went to the washroom and when I came out, he was gone."

"Alright sir," Megan replied, "We have a unit on the floor-we will find your son. Do you have a picture of your son on you?"

"Yeah," he said, as he pulled out his cellphone, "It's not the best quality."

"That's perfect sir."

* * *

><p>"Attention Access unit- secure all access points and start an immediate search for a Jason Smith, 15 years of age. Picture on PDA." Megan radioed out, "Alpha unit, start an immediate search, for Jason Smith, 15 years of age- picture is on your PDA. He was last seen by his father outside washrooms in west quad."<p>

"Copy that." I replied, as me, Ed and Val went to the last seen point to start our search.

"Val- cover west quad," Ed ordered, "I'll cover the north, Perra, you're on east. Spike- you got the access points closed?"

"Yeah, both gates closed." Spike responded over the radio.

"Spike, Adele and Kibs- patrol and secure south quad. Command- get extra uniforms on the exterior exits, make sure our guy doesn't leave the building."

Just as I was crossing from the west to the east quad, I could hear a woman's voice from the aisle next to mine. "Drop the weapon!"

"Val- you ok?" I radioed to her.

"SRU Rover Officer Valerie Pauze under immediate threat!" she radioed me.

"Copy that, I'm coming to your location!"

I cross-threaded through an exhibit where a company was showing off a long line of semi-permanent tattoos and got into the adjacent aisle, once there, I saw the threat.

"Drop your weapon!" I yelled at a man who held a long knife and was facing Val, "Drop it now, or you will be shot!"

"I didn't come this far to be stopped by a blonde wanna-be." He said as he approached her.

"Command unit-" I barked into the radio, "SRU Rover Officer under immediate threat of violence, permission for lethal."

"What's going on Perra?" Greg asked.

"We got a man holding a knife, he looks agitated, and maybe like he's looking for someone else."

"Negative on the lethal, Perra," Greg responded, "Megan, order a full evacuation and call in Team 10."

"Drop the knife!" I yelled, as I approached behind him.

The man gave up as he dropped the knife and I placed a pair of cuffs on him.

"Suspect secure."

"I got our missing person in custody!" Ed exclaimed over the radio, "At the rear exit- he was letting people in who were turned away at the gates."

"Copy that Team One," Greg said with satisfaction, "It was a good day. Let's go back to the barn."

* * *

><p>Once back at the SRU headquarters, Adele was complaining that her side was sore.<p>

"Didn't you tackle a guy that you thought was Jason Smith?" Spike said, as we entered the main doors.

"Yeah." She said, with a nod.

"C'mon," I said, "We'll go to an examination room, get your uniform off, and I'll have a look at it."

Once in a room, I turned and locked the door. I noticed Adele looked back at me.

"It's protocol." I said, "It's what these rooms are for, privacy."

"Do you mind?" Adele said, as she untucked her shirt, and started unbuttoning it.

"You mean checking your side?" I asked, "It's entirely professional. If you don't feel comfortable, I can get a woman to come in."

"No, it's ok." She said, as she took off her shirt, and pulled up the one side of her under shirt for me to look at it.

"No bruising." I replied, as I put pressure on one spot, "Does this hurt?"

"A little yeah," Adele replied, "So are you and Jules married? Brother and sister?"

"We're married." I mentioned, "You might have a cracked rib. You should go to the hospital."

"I'll be fine," she said, as she put her shirt back down.

"No you won't," I said, "Because I'm going to have to fill out a medical examination form recording what I did. When I put in the cracked rib suggestion, Greg will need to see a doctor's note until you're cleared for duty."

"Fine." She said, as we started to leave, "Is this the job- wall to wall action then all kinds of red lines and white forms?"

"We make sure that everyone in SRU has a clean bill of health. Makes us look good."

* * *

><p>Lying on the couch, Jules had a thick blanket over her. It was still 32 degrees Celsius in the house, but she was feeling cold.<p>

_Food poisoning, _Jules thought, _it definitely isn't the food. What else would cause sickness in the morning and cold shivers? Yeah, ok, I'll be happy about it, but does Kris know? He__ should- he's a smart guy and he's been through this twice before. He should know what happens to a woman when she's pregnant._

_But let's not get ahead of myself here. I should make sure before I go telling everybody. Yeah- I'll text Megan…_

Jules grabbed her cellphone and typed a message to Jules' cellphone: 'Hey, I hope your day was good. If you don't mind, can you ask dad to stop by a pharmacy? You can go in, and tell him that I need some sort of stomach meds. What I really need is a pregnancy test.'

It didn't take long and Megan texted her back. 'Yeah, everything was good. Seriously? Why don't you want me to tell dad? You want me to lie?'

Jules sighed, as she replied, 'Yes, please. I know your dad would be happy and all, but I need to make sure before I tell him.'

'Ok' was the next reply from Megan.


	31. Good Soldier

I placed my hand on the door knob. Before I turned it I looked back to Jules, Spike and Ed- all of whom had my back. This was my negotiation.

_Why on earth did Parker tell me to do this one? It was essentially because of him that I'm here, doing this._

* * *

><p>On the back patio, Megan rolled out her yoga mat and started stretching. Since her induction into the SRU Rover Crew, and with her Police Foundations course load, she hadn't had too much time to herself lately. If she wasn't at school, or working on an assignment or report for class, she was either volunteering down at the SRU station, or at the shooting range practicing her shooting and tactical drills with either her Dad or Spike.<p>

Using her arms to support her, she curled up her back to stretch out her spine, as she took a careful breath.

Even though she was stretching, and trying to get her mind off of the stresses, a few of them crept back into her mind.

_I hope the SRU station passes the yearly inspection, because his year, if it fails, the onus is on the Rover Crew. We cleaned the floors, ceilings and windows. We carefully inspected and performed preventative maintenance on all the SRU equipment for all the teams- even Team 11- a relatively new team that is from the Vancouver Police Service that is going to go back and start their own SRU department._

_Well, that's a good thing, I suppose. If I don't get into TPS SRU, there's always VPS SRU._

_Do I want to go into the Strategic Response Unit? I mean, it's cool and all, but now I'm seeing the stresses that mom and dad go through every day. How do they keep themselves together?_

_Ok, stop thinking. Let it all out- need to relax._

* * *

><p>I sat down on the bench in the gym, exhausted. We had started today at noon, and Ed was adamant about drilling our entry to a Guns &amp; Gangs bust that was going down in a week, about 10 times.<p>

That was until 1400, and then the Commander came to do our weigh-in. Nothing abnormal.

It was only until after the weigh-in did we all start to feel exhausted and tired.

"C'mon Perra, give me 50." Ed said from where he sat across from me.

"50 what?" I asked, "Slaps? Seriously, did we have to drill that entry ten times?"

Jules came over and passed me a water bottle, as she sat down beside me and started drinking from hers.

Greg came out of his office and saw the three of us just sitting there, nearly dozing off.

"Seriously, guys, at least look alive." Greg said, as he went down the hallway to the copier room.

I unscrewed the cap off of my water bottle, and thought about Greg's words.

Without giving it much thought, I inverted the bottle above my head and let the freezing cold water rush down my head, through my hair, and down my back, which brought me back from dozing off.

"You got me all wet." Jules said, as she got up from laying down on the bench.

"Where's Spike?" I asked.

"Team 11 got asking about bombs, so he's in the debriefing room." Ed said, as if my water show didn't faze him.

Greg walked back down the hall, and saw us again, looking like we're about to fall asleep.

"This is pathetic guys," Greg said, "I could call in the Rover Crew and run them through the drills we just did and they'd be still going. Is that what you want? I expect better from you guys."

"Believe me," I said, "Megan could not do the drills we did."

"Yeah, Sarge, I'm with Perra on this one." Jules said, "I had to wake Megan up the other day, because she was going to be late for school."

"She's been working hard." I commented.

"What's going on?" Spike said, as he walked out of the debriefing room and sat beside me.

"What's going on, is that 3 of the four members of my team look like they could use a Red Bull." Greg told Spike.

"That stuff gives you wings." Spike joked.

"Yipee." I said sarcastically.

"And 3 out of four dentists recommend Oral-B." Spike joked again.

"Spike," Jules said, as she leaned her head on my shoulders, "When I get the energy, remind me to hit you."

Spike laughed, as his phone vibrated for a call.

"Hello? Yeah- Sam? Yeah, what's going on?" Spike said.

Suddenly, it's like we all got the surge of energy to listen to Spike's call.

"Sam- you still there?" Spike said, "He's gone."

"What did he want Spike?" Greg asked.

"He said, 'I wanted to hear your voice one last time.' "

"Boss, " Jules said, "does that sound like what I think it sounds like?"

Greg looked concerned.

"Let's not wait for tomorrow's paper. Team One, suit up. Winnie- Team One is out on a call."

"For?" Winnie asked.

"Suicide intervention."

* * *

><p>Megan finished her yoga stretches. After changing into her bathing suit, she jumped into the pool and started to do a relay test- timing how long it would take her to swim from either side of the Olympic sized pool in the backyard.<p>

The water felt nice on her bare skin, as the sun was out in full force this weekend. Her mind wanted to think about a huge project due for her Provincial Offenses course, but it wandered onto other things.

_Mom thinks she's pregnant. Is that a good thing? Yeah, I suppose it's good for mom and dad, but what about me? Where do I fit in to this plan? There's no extra bedroom in the house. Would we move? Would mom and dad expect me to move out? No- I wouldn't think so…_

_But what about dad- does he really want another child? He takes really good care of me, and when he was considered Matthew's father, he was good with him too. Something makes me think he doesn't want another kid._

_And what would I do with another sibling? Yeah, ok, it'd be either my step brother or sister, but I'd still consider them family. _

_Whoa-__ if mom gives birth in 9 months, that'll bring us to next June. June 2013 then, would be the birthdate of my future sibling. That would mean that when it turns 18, I'll be….oh my god! I'll be 36! That would be so awkward- especially if I'm living at home w__hen the baby comes home. What- I'll be in my early twenties and already expected to look after a baby- a baby that isn't my own, but from my dad's 2__nd__ marriage?_

_Do I want kids? I don't know. Maybe- if I met the right guy, I would. Well, I want to be a cop, right? Should I put my career on hold just to start a family? No- I'm working hard to get myself into this, so why should I stop just to fold into the lesser urges of my biological nature to start a family? God- this is frustrating…_

* * *

><p>We arrived at Sam's last known address.<p>

"We sure he hasn't moved?" I asked.

"I'll look into his military records." Spike said, as he worked away on the computer in the command truck.

Ed came into the truck behind me. From the cab of the truck, Jules and Greg entered the rear.

"Should we recon?" Ed asked, "Spike, when was the last time you were here?"

"Uh, about 6 months ago," Spike replied, "He's a private guy. You should know Jules."

Jules hit Spike's arm, which caused him to misspell Sam's last name on the computer as 'Braddoxsk'.

"What was that for?" Spike said.

"From this afternoon."

"Alright Spike," Ed asked, "Do you think you could draw us a map?"

"I can do you one better Ed." Spike replied, "Building schematics."

"Alright" Ed said, as he looked over them, "Based on the address, this is Sam's apartment here?"

"Yes sir."

"Alright, here's what I'm thinking boss- Perra, me and Jules stacked up behind Spike- Spike talks Sam down." Ed suggested.

"I don't know how he's going to react to talking to one of his friends, Ed," Greg said, "What about Perra as the lead negotiator?"

"Boss, I-" I started.

"I'll be in your ear the whole time." Greg assured me.

"Alright." Ed said, "Jules, Spike, let's stack it up, and cover Perra. Let's stop Sam from wanting to kill himself."

* * *

><p>We met the building owner at the front door, he allowed us access.<p>

As we started up the stairs, to Sam's bachelor pad, Greg radioed me.

"I don't know what may have caused this Perra, but we have to assume it has something to do with his military ties. Maybe he's thinking back to the time that he accidentally killed his best friend in the field, or he's thinking about how his father pushed him towards a military career for his entire life, but we can't be certain. All we know for sure is that there is nothing simple about what he's going through. He may be suffering from Post-Partum Depression after leaving SRU, or maybe it's PTSD from his previous tours overseas. Just remember- connect, respect, protect."

"I got it boss." I replied, as we got to Sam's front door.

I saw Spike glancing at the lock with confusion, as he chose two lock picks.

"It's a single pin exterior, Spike. You'll need a flat rod." I explained.

After telling Spike what tools to use, it didn't take him long to unlock the door.

"Sam?" I yelled in, "It's Kristopher Perrasmith. You remember me? You called me Perra, remember?"

"Go away." Came Sam's muffled voice.

"Bedroom." Spike said, as he nodded towards a small hallway.

I entered, and looked around the foyer. In the middle of the floor was a military deployment bag that was half packed, with the rest of its belongings strewn about the floor.

Then my eyes went to the living room to the kitchen, thanks to the open-concept design.

"Scotch, beer, wine, and…what's that?" I asked Spike, as I pointed to a larger glass bottle.

"Rye." Spike replied, "They're all empty too."

"Get out of here!" came Sam's muffled voice again.

Slowly and quietly, we approached the bedroom door.

I placed my hand on the door knob. Before I turned it I looked back to Jules, Spike and Ed- all of whom had my back. This was my negotiation.

"Sam- it's Perra." I said, "I want to help you. I can tell you're going through some nasty stuff man. I'm going to open the door so we can talk better."

Then I opened the door.

I really wish I hadn't.

A stench filed out stronger than anything else I have ever smelt. I peered in and saw dirty, filthy clothes all over the bed. Over at the desk, there were more empty alcohol bottles, more worrisome than the others- rum, tequila, vodka, and assorted wine coolers. The wall mounted LCD TV had a deep crack down the middle of it. I looked down, and I saw the single shoe that was most likely thrown at it.

Propped up against the end board of his bed, was Sam. He wore a simple pair of boxers that smelt like they hadn't come off of him in two weeks. On his white shirt, were the stains of alcohol and stomach contents.

"What did I do to deserve this?" Sam asked in a drunken stupor, as he waved around a handgun.

* * *

><p>After drying herself off, Megan went back inside the house.<p>

_Mom and dad must really trust me to leave me alone here, all by myself._

_Well, I'm almost 18, they pretty much have to trust me._

_But then again, it's not like I'm going to have a house party, anyways._

_I could do anything really._

_There's beer and alcohol in the garage. I have my own car, so I could go for a ride. I could take my mom's Jeep for a joy-ride, since they took dad's new truck to work, and the fact that I know where exactly the keys to the Jeep are._

_I also know the combination to dad's gun collection. Holy- he must really trust me. What's stopping me from opening the safe and pulling out his 200 year old, rare M98 and pawning it off for drugs on the street?_

_Nothing._

_Not like I'd want to get drugs anyways. Heck, if my college instructors found out I used drugs, I would be kissing my Class Sargent position good bye. And the paperwork that goes with it. God- I hate that paperwork…._

* * *

><p>"Eh?" Sam asked, "What did I do to deserve this?"<p>

"Deserve what Sam?"

"Deserve this!" he said angrily, as he got up, but not on his first try.

"What are you getting at Sam? What don't you think you deserve?"

"Don't try to handle me- jackboot!"

"What's going on?" Greg asked.

"He's not making any sense, boss," Ed summarized, "He does have a gun, and he called Perra a jackboot."

"Jackboot?" Greg said, "You remember when we heard that for the first time."

"Yeah, the environmental bombs," Jules said, "When Lewis was killed."

I looked back to see Spike shudder at the mention of Lew's name. "You going to be ok?" I asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine Perra."

"You better be, I don't want to have to pick you up too."

I turned to Sam. "Sam- you're having flashbacks, right?"

"You know how many people I've had to shoot? How many people I've killed?" he asked.

"I know Sam, I know- I really do."

"No, you don't airhead." Sam responded. "You don't know me."

"That's right, Sam, I don't know you. You know why? Because when I joined SRU, I was afraid, I was afraid of letting anyone down- that's why I didn't want to get close to anybody."

"You close to her now, though, right?"

"Yeah," I said, "Me and Jules- we're close."

"That's great Pear-but at the end of it all, what do I have to come home to; a bottle of scotch and the pictures of the guys who get blown up every week in Kandahar?"

"I know Sam, it messes a guy up, it really does, but it doesn't have to end like this."

"Why don't I just cut to the chase?" Sam said, as he waved the handgun in front of me, "Glock 19, 40cal- it'll be quick."

"Sam, you have to know something- death doesn't solve anything. For years I knew my mother was slowly dying, and she couldn't remember Thursday from Tuesday, and I didn't do anything about it. Then two days ago, I get a card from my dad- my mom died."

"Perra- where you going with this?" Greg asked.

"He has to know I'm human. I'm trying to show him that death doesn't solve anything." I replied.

"Then what happened?" Sam asked, "With your mom- you go home? Pay your respects?"

"I couldn't bring myself to that Sam, I couldn't because I never did anything. I could've got her some real special care, set her up, you know, and I never did."

"We all got baggage man." Sam said, "But that- it doesn't mean anything. Ed's got someone to come home to, you got Jules to come home to- what do I got? Eh? I got nothing! Can't even take the comfort of my parents either- my dad wants me to serve in another tour, and my mom just sits there and takes it all."

"Sam- you have to know, that you have friends that care about you. How do you think Ed would feel? Spike? Jules? What about me?"

"What about you?"

"You can't just give up, because you can't take it anymore, Sam," I responded, as I got closer to him, "I had to shoot my ex-wife two weeks ago. I had to find the sick pervert that was looking into my sister's place. And now- Megan's on the SRU Rover team-"

"Good for her. How she-" Sam started.

"Now, Sam," I continued, "From the moment I wake up in the morning, not only do I wonder if it'll be me or Jules who might not make it home, I have to worry about Megan too. And you're just giving up? Am I supposed to give up on Megan, on Jules?"

I approached Sam closer. "Put down the gun, Sam, because you're a soldier. You're a good soldier, and I will not let you give up."

Sam passed me the gun, grip first, as I took it from him.

"Thank you." He said calmly, as he put his arms behind his back, knowing fully well I'd have to cuff him.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Emotionally raw and unstable- god I love it! Ok- to clarify, I'm not a Sadist, but it almost tears a guy up to read this! I**** read it five times as proof reads, and I think this is the moistest my eyes have ever been without tearing up. Keep your boots on, **_**A New Beginning **_**fans, because some even more intense chapters are planned, and you might have to take a chair.**


	32. New Things

I'm being summoned.

I was working in the garage on my truck.

Ok- I wasn't working on the truck. More like pretending I'm working and instead I'm just staring at it, in its washed and waxed, perfect reflection of a shine glory- off of the glossy clear coat over the deep black paint. To set off the truck even more, I had splurged and got personalized plates for it too, 'KJM'.

_Kris, Jules, Megan._

"Dad!" Megan had yelled into the garage.

"Coming." I yelled back, as I went into the house.

* * *

><p>"Ok, Megan, call your father in here." Jules said with anticipation. Over a week and a half ago, she had taken an over-the-counter pregnancy test, and it came up positive.<p>

She didn't want to tell Perra right away, but she knew she had to eventually.

Megan was in on it too- she'd had asked Megan to pick up three different tests at three different drugstores on her way home from school the other day. If she was going to tell Perra she had to be sure.

And she was. She was ready to tell him.

* * *

><p>When I came in the house, I saw both Megan and Jules sitting at the table. Jules had a series of papers under her arms.<p>

"What do you have there?" I asked, as I sat down beside her, and gave her a kiss.

"Ok dad….dad!" Megan exclaimed, who was happy for her parents, but for some strange reason didn't approve of her parents when they decided to show their affection to each other in certain ways. "I'm sitting right here."

"If you don't like the show, go somewhere else." I teased, "What's up?"

Jules gave me a look. "This is what's up." She said, as she passed me a large piece of paper, with lots of fine print on it.

"Oh god, you want me to put together another chair from Ikea?" I asked, "Because the last one only took me three hours."

"No," Jules said, as she passed me a stick with a blue colored pad on it, like a pregnancy test, "It goes with this."

_Wait- pregnancy test?_

I immediately picked up the stick and examined the coloration of the colored pad.

"Ok, dad, that's a bit gross." Megan commented.

"It's definitely blue." I mentioned, as I started to read the instructions.

"And you're definitely a Taurus. Want to point anything else out, Mr. Obvious?" Megan mocked from across the table.

_Why is Megan here?_

"You're in on this, aren't you?" I asked.

"You'd probably find it suspicious if mom went out shopping and didn't come back with anything, right?"

_Good point, I would._

I continued reading, until I got to the section titled, 'How to Read The Results'.

Then I continued reading.

"Blue means…" I started.

"I'm pregnant." Jules said, with a smile.

I jumped up from the chair and kissed Jules again, and even with an "oh god", from Megan, I just continued.

When I ran out of air, was when I gave up and sat back down.

"That's, that's amazing." I said, "I'm going to be a father…"

"Hello?" Megan said.

"I made an appointment with an OB/GYN tomorrow. " Jules said, "I want you to be there."

"I'll bet my bottom dollar, I will."

* * *

><p>The next day, me and Jules waited in the doctor's examination room. I held Jules' hand, as the doctor used the ultrasound to find our baby.<p>

"I've never done this before." Jules said to both me and doctor.

The doctor kept on smiling as she continued using the ultrasound.

"Hey," I said, "we'll do everything together, ok? Take the classes, read the books, laze around and eat ice cream all day."

I kissed Jules' forehead, as I looked over to the doctor.

"I got it." The doctor said, "It's hard to see, but it's there. Right there."

She moved the monitor so we could both see it.

"Your first child, right?" she asked.

"Yeah," Jules said, "My husband has an 18 year old daughter from his first marriage."

"You're in experienced hands then." The doctor said, "I suppose you want print outs? How many?"

"Two." I said.

"Well," Jules replied, to me, "I'd like to send one to my folks, and do you think you'd send one to your dad?"

"No." I said, not wanting to think about my father, "I'll put one up in my locker though."

* * *

><p>After the appointment, we went directly into work.<p>

"Ok- here's the deal." Jules said, as we got out of the truck, "If I put one up in my locker- the only people who are going to see it is Donna, from Team Four, who couldn't care less, and that Vancouver cop from Team Eleven."

"So you're saying you want me to put one up in my locker?"

"Yup." Jules said, as she went into the women's locker room.

I went into the men's and looked around. Making sure, no one was looking, I opened my locker, and pulled out the unfolded ultra-sound image and placed it on my locker door, with a magnet.

As soon as I pulled out my uniform and draped them over the bench, was when Spike came in, followed by Sam.

"Hey Sam," I said, "What's up?

"I'm seeing Laura today. Spike came by and picked me up, to make sure I go."

"The psychiatrist, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, that's her." Sam replied, "Well, and it's a good thing Spike picked me up- my license got suspended."

"The drinking?" I asked, as I put on my shirt.

"Yeah- took me a good few days to sober up, but I did it."

I nodded, "How you getting home?"

"I haven't figured that part out yet. Taking things slow."

"Well, Megan's off from school today- I can have her stop by and drive you back to your place." I offered.

"Yeah?" You think she would?"

"She will." I said as I picked up my phone from inside my locker and dialed the house number.

"Hello?" Megan answered.

"Megan, it's dad."

"How did the appointment go?"

"Oh, it's good."

"Cool. What's up?"

"You mind dropping by SRU- your buddy Sam will need a ride home."

I put my hand over the mic of the phone and mouthed over to Sam "When?"

"Two hours."

"Yeah, I suppose I can. Can you ask Greg if there's anything for the Crew to do? Me and Christina need to make up some hours before the month's end."

"Yeah, I'll ask him. Ok, see you at noon then."

I hung up the phone and put it in my locker, and continued getting dressed. "You got a ride."

"Appreciate it Perra." Sam said, "I really do."

"Don't mention it."

Then Ed came into the locker room.

"Braddock- what's the good word?" Ed asked, as he opened up his locker and started getting ready.

"Not too much, sir, taking things slow."

"Going overseas?" Ed asked.

"I don't think I am." Sam said, "Looking for a new job."

"Good for you, Sam." Ed said, as he turned around and started tying up his boots, "How are you today Perra?"

"Excellent." I said, as I downed a pill with some water.

"What are you taking?" Ed asked.

"Went to the doctor's the other day- sleep deprived. I have to take something to knock me out at night, and it works pretty well, so I'm taking some vitamins in the morning now to get me going."

"Alright," Sam said, "My appointment with Laura is in 5 minutes, don't want to be late.

After Sam left, I finished getting ready, but I decided to keep my locker doors open, to see if anyone would notice.

"There's the man of the hour." Spike exclaimed, as Greg came in.

"Hey boss," I said, "Megan wants to know if there's anything the Crew can do, because Meg and Walker need to make up some hours."

"I'm sure I can find them something to do," Greg said, as he opened his locker, "Tell them to come in."

"I'll text them." I said, as I got up and grabbed my cell and started texting. "By the way Ed, you re-decorate your locker?"

"Yeah, you mind Perra?" he said mockingly, with a laugh, "Some of Isabel's drawings, she wouldn't let me leave home without five of them the other day."

Me and Spike laughed.

"Laugh all you want gentlemen," Ed said, as he looked at Spike's locker which had pictures of his father, mother, and Lewis- pictures no one would dare talk about, "Like you're one to talk Perra, what's this? A sheet of black with a few squiggly grey and white lines on it that says- 'Perrasmith, Julianna'…."

Ed thought about it for a moment, as both Greg and Spike craned for a look.

"Oh, no, this real?" Ed asked, as he took a closer look, "Nice to know the boys can still swim."

"What are you talking about?" Spike said, who wandered over and squinted at the picture, "Rock on Perrasmith!" he ended with.

"She expecting?" Greg asked, who didn't feel the need to closely examine the ultra-sound of my wife's uterus, "Congratulations."

"Thank you sir."

* * *

><p>At noon, I waited out front with Sam, while we waited for Megan.<p>

"You don't have to Perra." Sam said, "Go back in, I'm sure Ed wants to drill for something."

"Ed can wait five minutes." I said, "How are you doing?"

"Laura says I need to stay positive. Look past the lives of the people I've taken, and look to the lives of the people I've saved. My homework is to try to remember how many people that is."

"You've had a lot of cases." I said.

"A lot of memories, a lot of blood."

I saw Megan pull up, "Stay positive Soldier Braddock." I said, as he got into the passenger's side.

Megan rolled her window down.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Nothing, it's just hot in here." She said.

"Ok, Meg," I said, as they pulled off, "Straight back to his place- no stopping!"

As soon as I stepped back into the SRU building, the call horn rang out.

"Team one, hot call- domestic disturbance on Riley Avenue; neighbors say that there are firearms in the house." Kiera yelled out.

* * *

><p>Me and Jules rode in one SUV, with Ed and Spike following, with Greg in their backseat.<p>

Once at the address, me and Jules piled out, and readied our MP5's and pointed them at the house in question.

I looked over to see Ed and Spike setup similar to me and Jules, and Greg staying behind one of the open doors on the SUV, with a loudspeaker in his hand, as he spoke into it, "This is the Police Strategic Response Unit, everyone in the residence of 451 Riley Avenue needs to calmly walk out the front door with their hands above their heads!"

"No movement." Ed said, "Perra, Jules- bravo, me and Spike are alpha, let's move!"

I grabbed the door sledge, as me and Ed ran up to the front door.

Without even stopping to stack up, I slammed the sledge into the door.

Ed started in, followed by Spike, as Jules took up the rear. I stayed outside and acted as a spotter to the windows.

"Action on 2nd floor on red wall." I radioed.

"We got action in the driveway!" Greg yelled out, as I pointed my firearm in that direction, "One man getting into an older Chevrolet Camaro!"

I jumped over the black wrought iron railing on the front porch and landed in the driveway. "Police- get out of the car, right now!"

I felt Greg come up behind me, as he pointed his handgun at the car.

"We got an injured female occupant," Jules said over the radio, "Kiera, we need an ambulance right away!"

"Get out of the car!" I yelled again, as the man started the vehicle.

Greg used the loudspeaker, "Turn off the car, and get out now!"

Suddenly the man put the car into gear, and he started to inch forward. He started to gain speed, I saw Greg jump out of the range of the vehicle, but I waited until the last second to do so.

As the car raced past us, I regained my target- the rear wheels and fired at them, with no results.  
>"We got a vehicular pursuit!" I yelled, as Jules, Ed and Spike ran out of the house, carrying the wounded occupant, as the ambulance showed up, "Blue Chevy Camaro, probably around 1975 to 1980 of make, marker one, ninety nine, one, yankee, papa."<p>

"Let's move!" Ed yelled, as we got back into the SUVs and started chase.

* * *

><p>Megan continued driving.<p>

"Stop here." Sam said, as he indicated a spot alongside the road, outside a liquor store.

"I'm not stopping Sam." Megan said firmly, "Spike texted me, saying you might try to…"

Sam reached over, and pulled on the steering wheel, as Megan descended her speed and came to a stop in the parking space. "I told you to pull over."

"I'm calling Spike." Megan said, as she grabbed her phone from the cradle on the dash and pressed in his speed dial number.

"He told me you two were close." Sam said, as he reached for the phone.

With one hand, Megan unbuckled her seatbelt, and slapped Sam's hand away.

"You little…" Sam started to reach for the cellphone again.

This time Megan was too quick for Sam, as she pulled away, and got out of the car.

Once she was, out she noticed that Sam as getting out; and coming around the car.

She cancelled the call to Spike and dialed 911, "Get away from me!" she said, as she backed away.

"911, what is your emergency?" came the operator's voice, as Megan had put the phone on speakerphone.

"This is Megan Perrasmith, I'm with the Strategic Response Unit Rover Crew- I'm being assaulted by Sam Braddock, he used to be a member of-" Megan started.

Sam however, ran forward and knocked Megan to the sidewalk. Once Megan was knocked on her back, she rolled to one side, and used her arm to block any oncoming attacks.

"Ma'am, are you still there?" the operator asked.

"Yes, I'm here." Megan said, as she stood back up and creating space between her and Sam, who was having difficulty getting up.

Megan looked around and found her location. Once she found it, she turned her back to Sam and said, "I'm at the near the liquor store on 18th Street!"

That's all Megan, was able to say, as Sam came up from behind her, and punched her in the neck, which caused her to pass out, and crumble to the ground.

Once Megan was knocked out, Sam could still hear the operator on the phone say "Ma'am, are you still there? We are sending units immediately to your location- please stay on the line!"

Sam walked over and purposely stepped on the phone, rendering it useless. After that, he rifled through Megan's pockets and stole her credit card, and her car keys. Once he had everything he needed, he got into her car and took off.

* * *

><p>"Alright," Ed said, "We need to end this ASAP. We got team 6 up ahead who cleared some space and have setup spike strips and are ready to apprehend if required. Perra, who's driving your vehicle?"<p>

"Jules, is- why?" I asked.

"That's good, that's good. Grab a rifle and create a Sierra if this goes bad."

"You want me to Sierra a shot out of a moving vehicle and into another moving vehicle?" I asked, "That's a sniper's hell! That is too many variables Ed, even if we can maintain distance and speed."

"There's no other solution here Perra, and you're the lead vehicle."

"Copy that Ed," I said, as I reluctantly, reached back and grabbed a rifle, "Last resort, right?"

"Copy that." Ed replied.

"Ok, Perra-" Spike instructed over the radio, "Latch your harness to the grab bar on the inside of the vehicle, and the roof rack- that'll be your most secure latch points."

I latched myself in as instructed and leaned out of the vehicle, with the weapon in hand.

"Do you have the solution?" Ed yelled.

"No solution," I yelled back, "Passenger side B pillar blocking path. No solution."

"Let's hope those road spikes work then." Spike replied.

Through the scope, I saw the Camaro go through the spike stripes. They seemed to have a good effect in stopping the car.

"I have the solution." I informed.

"Hold-"Greg said, "Team six is doing the apprehend."

* * *

><p>When Megan came to, a passerby had propped her up against his car, and had his cashmere business jacket draped over her.<p>

"Are you ok?" he asked, "She's awake."

Megan looked over to who the man was talking to. She didn't have to look far to see three police cruisers, six police officers, an ambulance with two EMTs and the Emergency Response Supervisor.

The EMTs came over with their supervisor and they started to work on cleaning out the broken skin, applying salves, and dressings to where her elbows and knees had scraped and bled.

"Do you know the man who assaulted you?" a police officer asked, as she approached Megan.

"You don't want to know about the situation around the assault, to confirm it was an actual assault?" Megan questioned.

"Well, there were several witnesses, and I heard the actual 911 call in progress." She explained, "I'm Jessica Sanders. You're a Perrasmith, right?"

"I suppose you know my mom or dad."

"Your dad- Mr. Kristopher Perrasmith," Jessica said, "Your dad was my training officer back in Brockville."

Megan looked up at the officer.

"But I suppose you don't want to talk about that." Jessica continued, "Do you know the man who assaulted you?"

"Sam Braddock. He used to be a member of the SRU in Team One." Megan answered.

"Ok, Ms. Perrasmith," Jessica started.

"Call me Megan." Megan interrupted.

"Ok- Megan," Jessica corrected, "I'm going to ask you a yes or no question. If you answer yes, I'll have probable grounds to put out a warrant for Mr. Sam Braddock's arrest. He'll be arraigned with Assault, Theft over $5000, and Credit Card Theft. Do you wish to lay charges against Sam Braddock?"

Without hesitation, Megan responded, "yes."


	33. He Loves Me

**A/N: I actually meant to put this author's note at the end of Chapter 32, but I felt that with that ending, it just needed to end- no rambling author's note.**

**That being said- I'm at a crossroads here- in about 2 chapters (well, technically one…), there is going to be a HUGE, MONUMENTAL, BIZZARE plot twist that I've been working towards since…well, to be honest, since I started this little fiction. It's something I've wanted to do in a story for a long time. **

**I can't really start pulling in the reins and ending it now, but I feel, that as an author, I have a duty to tell, you, the reader- that this fiction will be ending in less than 20 chapters.**

* * *

><p>I hugged Megan.<p>

It felt more than a hug- more like a protective layer.

_She's been through hell and back, and she's not even 25 yet._

_She's been kidnapped- at gunpoint of all things. Her parents got divorced. She's been arrested. She's been assaulted._

"Are you ok Megan?" I whispered into her ear, even though I didn't have to.

"I'm fine dad." she said, "I just don't have a car anymore."

"They'll get him." Jules said, "They'll bring him in and recover your car."

We were of course discussing how two days ago, the man I had to convince not to kill himself had assaulted Megan.

"We're going." I said, "Get your purse."

Both Jules and Megan stared at me.

"I was talking at Megan. Don't all just stand up and cheer at the same time."

"Dad- where do you want to go?"

"I'm going to take you to your insurance broker. You're going to file a claim, and they'll pay for what your car was worth."

"Dad- I only paid like $800."

"Well, I know that it's worth closer to $3000," I said, "Plus, I'll give you some money; and help you buy a new car."

Megan got up grudgingly, "My purse was in my car."

"We'll work on that too." I said, as I grabbed my keys off of the counter, and passed by Jules, "Take care, and keep thinking about cute babies."

Jules laughed, as we went out the door.

* * *

><p>After Perra and Megan left, Jules had some time to herself, and found herself sitting on the couch.<p>

She looked down at her belly and started to visualize herself in a few months, sporting a pregnant belly.

_He's the perfect guy. _She thought. _I married the perfect guy. It only took me __nearly 30 years, but I did it._

_I'm married. I have a loving husband. Sure, he has an eighteen year old daughter, but the relationship me and Megan have is a mother-daughter relationship._

_She's the daughter I never had._

_And I'm damn proud of her too, like a mother would be. Humber College Police Foundations student, highest in her class, Class Sargent, member and Sargent of the Strategic Response Unit Rover Crew._

_Ok- well, maybe Kris isn't perfect, but it's those little things that make him who he is._

_No matter how I look, every morning, when we get out of bed, he tells me how beautiful I am. It gets annoying sometimes, but it's nice to know that he loves the way I look in my flannel PJs. He proposed to me after only dating for two months- that's how sure he was. That was even after his nearly two decades of his first marriage crumbled around him._

_I wonder if he ever treated Haley the same __way__.__ I wonder if he told her how beautiful she was, seven times a day._

_But then again, Haley didn't work with him, and one thing I know for sure- I don't resent him for being a successful police officer._

_One thing, I wish he did was talk about his family more. I never met his mom, and now I won't get the chance to, because she passed away. And how did I find that out? Oh right, at work, when he was using that life experience in his negotiations with Sam._

_But at the same time, I do understand why he doesn't talk about his parents. It bothers him, it really does. He's lived in Toronto for six years, and he has never been home or even talked to his parents in six years._

_But that's one thing I still don't understand- even though he hasn't talked to his father since he left his small hometown, you think he would've picked up a phone, and called his dad, and asked him how he was doing, with the death of his wife._

_Who knows? Well, I think I do know. Lauren Perrasmith. Kris' adopted sister. They've been really close since we arrested that pervert who was stalking Lauren._

_I think maybe he's been talking to her about things. Maybe that's why, Ella, Kris' niece and god-daughter is staying with us this weekend. Maybe Lauren is going home, to see the man who had adopted her._

_Like I said, who knows?_

_Or maybe it's because Kris wants a stronger relationship with his niece and god-daughter, and decided to help Lauren by giving her a weekend off._

_And maybe it'll be my chance to see how good of a mother I really am._

_Will I be a good mother? Do I know what a hungry cry sounds like? No- but Kris does. _

_Am I going to be dependent on Kris to help me through this? Probably. But at the same time, I'm sure I can cope with some things on my own. Yeah, I can-and I will._

The phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Jules-" came Greg's voice, "Are both you and Perra home?"

"No, Kris went out with Megan. Going to file an insurance claim for her car, and get a new credit card, driver's license and everything."

"It's too bad, eh?" Greg asked.

"What do you mean- 'it's too bad'?" Jules questioned, "Sam has made his own decisions. He's the one who wanted to commit suicide, and we stopped him from doing that because that's our job. He's the one who assaulted my daughter, and he's going to answer for what he did."

"I'm not saying that Julianna, all I'm saying is that it's too bad about Megan- everything she's been through."

"Yeah, I know boss." Jules said, "What did you call for?"

"Well, we have a small security detail. I'll just text Perra to see if he can come in."

"Want me in as well?" Jules asked.

"No, it's nothing too big. Ed, Spike and Perra can handle it."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I little short one for ya. Why a shortie? You'll have to keep reading to find out. Keep your boots on **_**A New Beginning **_**fans, and a chair close by.**


	34. Simple Isn't Better

"Put it down- put the weapon down now!" I yelled at the gun-man.

"Put yours down first!"

* * *

><p>"Alright, thank you for coming in on short notice Eddie, Spike, Perra," Greg said, as we all stood in the debriefing room in full uniform except for Greg, "The Scotsdale case is in court today, and the Crown has a police informant. Courthouse Security has three other cases going on at the same time, so their guys are already stretched out, so they need us in to shore up the defenses."<p>

"The Scotsdale case?" I asked, "You mean the Import and Export fraud case?"

"That'd be the one." Greg said.

"Why don't we have the full team?" Spike asked.

"We shouldn't need it." Ed said, "Simple stuff. Spike on access control as people come in. Once we're in, Security locks the door, and they watch it from the outside. Inside, we'll have Perra covering the informant, I'll be on the Crown, and Spike can watch the defendant."

"You sure?" I asked, "Because I don't think Jules would mind if we called her in."

"Perra-" Ed asked, "Do you see any spots to have two extra guys?"

I looked at the layout of the court room on the screen. "No."

"My point exactly, let's move."

* * *

><p>Once at the courthouse, we checked in with the Security Officers.<p>

"Yeah, we can still watch your door." The one officer confirmed with Ed, "You have one of your guys watching people as they go in, and we're all good."

"That's good." Ed said, as we walked down the hallway with the Security Officer.

"How many people are we expecting?" I asked.

"Shouldn't be too many." The officer replied, as we rounded the corner.

Once on the other side, we saw a large crowd of people who were sectioned off, and waiting to enter the courtroom.

"Not too many, right?" I asked again, "Ed- we'll need to bring the eye in from a different door. We can't bring him in from here, he'll be too exposed."

"I agree." Ed said, as he looked to the Security Officer, "You know why there'd so many people here?"

"It was a big case." I quickly responded, before Ed could get angry at the Officer, "A lot of people got burned in it. They probably want to see justice happen to the guy who took their money in promise that they'll get something across the border."

"True." Ed said, as his anger level dwindled down, "Spike, we got another entrance to bring the eye in?"

I looked over to see Spike working on a tablet.

"The only other way is to bring him in the same way as the defendant."

"You can't do that." The Security Officer said, "We got the defendant in a holding cell back there. He'll have to go right by him. He'll see him."

"We could disguise him- make him look like one of us." I suggested, "We got an extra vest in the truck."

"Alright, let's do it." Ed said, "Spike, start sifting through this crowd, and start sending people out of here. We don't want that entire crowd in that courthouse."

"Copy that."

* * *

><p>I went to the truck and grabbed an extra SRU issue vest. By the time I had it in hand, Team Four rolled up.<p>

Donna, the team's Sargent rolled down her window, "Delivery for Team One?"

"You guys delivering the eye?" I asked.

"You bet."

I opened the rear door of the SUV, and helped the eye, or the police informant out of the vehicle.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask that you put this on." I said, as I handed him the SRU vest.

I helped him into the bulky vest, and walked him to a secured door, where an armed guard stood.

"Need this opened." I said.

The guard immediately opened the door for us as we entered.

Once inside, there were multiple holding cells for all of the cases that were in-progress and ones that were going on later in the day.

It didn't take us long to get to the door that would lead us into the courthouse where the case was going to be heard.

"Spike- status?" Ed asked over the radio.

"Security just opened the courthouse. Screening persons now."

"Copy that." Ed replied, "I got the Criminal prosecutor covered. Perra?"

"Awaiting the signal to bring in the informant." I replied.

"Ed," Spike radioed, "I got a guy here from the newspaper. Are we letting people in from the media?"

"No one told me." Ed answered, "Perra- the judge should be close to you. Check it out."

I looked around, and saw the Judge waiting patiently with the bailiff.

"Sir," I asked, forgetting the proper term to address a judge as, "Are the media allowed into the courtroom?"

"I didn't receive a memo saying that they weren't, so I'd assume so." He replied.

I radioed in, "Spike- the judge cleared any media representatives."

"Alright."

"I got a problem here." Ed replied, "Coming to you Perra."

Ed came to the back, with the Crown's lawyer behind him.

"The crown has two lawyers." Ed said.

"And?"

I could tell Ed was deep in thought. Something must've came to his mind.

"Ok- Spike, you'll cover both the defense and the eye. Perra will cover the eye and the Crown. I will double on the crown."

"Simple?" I asked Ed with sarcasm.

"Funny- very funny."

* * *

><p>"Ok- crowds in. We ready?" Spike asked over the radio.<p>

"Copy that," came my response, as I nodded to the bailiff, "Bailiff coming in."

I wasn't in the courtroom, but I could tell what was going on, since I've had previous experiences in courtrooms.

The bailiff would enter. He would then ask everyone to rise, while the Judge comes in and sits. He must've just done that, as the Judge walked into the room.

After that, the bailiff would continue to explain some basic rules of the courtroom.

All cellphones off, no eating or drinking, and that at no time should a person leave the courtroom unless under direct authorization or order to do so.

Then, he would introduce the Crown- the lawyer's representing the written law. Ed is the only SRU Officer covering them right now, but that's ok.

Then a Courthouse Security Guard typically brings in the witnesses, if any.

This time however, it's going to be me in the place of the Security Guard, and the police informant as the witness.

That's my cue.

I already had the informant remove the SRU vest. I took him by the arm, took him into the courtroom.

Once in, my situational awareness kicked in. I'm now covering both the informant and the Crown's lawyers.

If the lawyers were to be under imminent threat, I could be to them in three strides. Four, if I have to draw either the MP5 or the handgun.

The first order of business is to go through the charges. The defendant is facing charges of fraud, exporting without permits, importing without permits, engaging in fraudulent activities, fraudulent conspiracy, possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute, possession of prohibited weapons and devices with intent to distribute, and accessory to manslaughter.

The judge asked, "How do you plea?"

The defendant's lawyer stood to properly address the judge.

"My client pleads guilty to all charges, save the charges of exporting and importing without permits, which he pleads not guilty."

Then the judge and the lawyer bantered on for about 10 minutes, insuring they knew exactly how the defendants pleads were for each charge.

"Fraud?" the judge asked again for the fifth time.

"Guilty."

"Accessory to Manslaughter?"

"Guilty."

Finally, the judge was satisfied, and the case continued. The defendant would get a chance to use any and all witnesses, including the police informant.

"Who do you call to the stand?" the bailiff asked.

"I call my client- Peter Jacobs to the stand."

In his orange jumpsuit, and shackles around his ankles and his hands in cuffs in front of him, Peter Jacobs came to the stand.

"Do you swear to tell the whole truth, nothing but the truth, so help you God?" the bailiff asked.

"So God helps me." Came his reply.

The defendant's lawyer came up and started questioning his client. I swept the crowd with my eyes.

I saw a journalist, front center, fidgeting with his pen and paper. He looked like he was sitting with something bulky on his left side.

"So you were not aware that permits were required for the export or import of goods between Canada, to the United States or Mexico?"

"No, I was not aware. No one told me. No one asked me."

I continued sweeping the crowd. Again, my eyes landed on the journalist. Something seemed off with him.

I looked up to the stand, and noted that the Crown was now cross-examining the witness that the defending lawyer had brought to the stand. The lawyer was just railroading Peter Jacobs, bringing forth slides, papers, and other documentation that further incriminated him.

I saw that Spike was looking at me, so I very quickly nodded in the direction of the journalist who had caught my attention.

Since Spike and Ed were further away from the stand, Spike was able to quietly radio Ed to inform him of the person in question.

I saw Ed nod at me to confirm that he had indeed received my message. Message received.

The cross-examination of Peter Jacobs was done. The defendant didn't have any more witnesses to call upon, so the case continued to the prosecution.

"Who do you call to the stand?" the bailiff asked the prosecuting lawyers.

"We call upon Mr. Dennis Saucier." The Crown stated.

"As?" the bailiff asked.

"As a witness to the crimes in question, as a police informant."

I could tell that the entire crowd was on the edge of their seats. Whatever the informant would say, it would most likely be the final bar in the prison cell that Peter Jacobs would be in for the next 8 years.

I walked the informant to the stand. The bailiff nodded at me, as if he agreed with my decision to walk with him.

_It's not like I have a choice._

"Objection, your honor!" came a loud voice.

I pushed the bailiff out of the way so I could see, expecting to see the defendant's lawyer standing up.

Instead, though, I saw the journalist jump the courtroom gate, with a loaded 44 magnum revolver in his hands.

* * *

><p>Immediately, Spike and Ed converged behind the journalist, weapons drawn.<p>

"Put it down- put the weapon down now!" I yelled at the journalist, with my MP5 pointed at him.

"Put yours down first!" he yelled back.

"I can't do that."

"Police informant, eh? Aren't we all police informants? Don't we all answer to the beck and call of the glorious, well-oiled machine that we call the Toronto Police Service?"

"What are you getting at sir?" Ed asked, stepping in as negotiator.

"And you're just another part of that machine, _Officer._" He said to Ed.

"Put the gun down," Ed asked him, "Put the gun down, and let the judge do his job. This judge will make sure the law is upheld."

"The law..." he said, as he took a better grip on the gun, and adjusted his aim onto me.

Ed nodded to me, as he decided to let me talk.

"See these guns here sir?" I said, "Heckler and Koch MP5 A3, capable of firing in 3 shot bursts and fully automatic at eight hundred rounds a minute, so unless you want a live demonstration, I suggest you put the gun down."

"The only difference between you and me, is that all I need is one shot, and this is over." The journalist said, as he fixed his point of aim to the police informant.

"And let me tell you this-" I started to say.

But I never finished. Instead, I heard one single shot. At first, I thought it came from Spike's gun, but as soon as I looked down and saw the puddle of blood at my feet, I figured otherwise.

I started coughing, as I fell to my knees. Instead of just a standard dry cough, I was coughing up more blood than I've ever seen before. I looked over to see Spike and Ed getting a pair of cuffs on the journalist.

Courthouse Security had opened the doors, and was securing the judge and the lawyers.

I no longer had the strength to hold myself up on my knees, and fell down, with my back in the thick blood that surrounded me.

"We need an EMT!" Spike yelled, even though I could barely hear him.

I brought up my hand, and started putting pressure on the gaping hole in my throat.

_My ex-wife…Matthew…Jules- my new wife. Megan- I'm so proud of her. She's going to make an excellent cop someday. _

_My baby. Jules is pregnant. I have a baby on the way. In nine months, my baby will be born._

_A baby I'll never see._

Spike came to my side, and started putting pressure on the wound. "Hang in there buddy, hang in there. EMTs are thirty seconds out."

"Spike." I whispered, because I couldn't talk any louder.

He didn't hear me.

"Spike!" I managed to say louder, but only ended up coughing up more blood all over Spike, and now Ed, who came to my side.

"Yeah?" Ed asked.

"Take care of them."

And that was the last thing I remember.

* * *

><p>Ed and Spike went to the station and debriefed with Greg, with Perra's blood still on their uniforms and hands.<p>

After debriefing, Ed said to both Spike and Greg that he had to go.

He knew where he had to go, and during his drive there, he was going through how he would say it in his mind.

Once in the driveway, he immediately got out. He stopped himself, even though it was raining, and looked at the house. The house that Jules had started to renovate on her own time years ago and the home that Perra and Jules had finished together.

Ed looked to Jules' Jeep in the driveway, wondering if Megan was going to get another car, and if there would ever be more than two vehicles in this driveway again.

He approached the door and knocked, leaving bright red blood mark on the door.

"Ed…" Jules said, as she answered the door, "You ok? Come on in."

Ed took the invite and stepped inside the door. He saw Megan sitting on the couch.

"Megan." He said, as he nodded to her "Why don't you come here- I have something I need to tell you."

Megan stood up and walked closer to Ed, as she took in the blood on his sleeves.

"What's going on Ed? Where's my dad?" Megan asked.

It was at that point that Ed couldn't hold it back anymore. He had tried to keep his tough exterior look, but it was hard as the tears started rolling down his eyes.

"When's dad coming home?" Megan asked again.

"Megan- he's not." Ed explained, between sobs, as he wiped the tears from his face, getting blood on his cheeks, "He's dead."

Jules immediately looked to Ed, then Megan.

Megan immediately started to cry. Not just a standard cry, more like a painful cry- a cry that would never go away.

Ed saw the tears in Jules' eyes, as Jules grabbed Megan, and stopped her from falling, because she no longer had the will to continue standing.

With Ed's help, Jules carried Megan over to the couch, where they laid Megan down as she continued to cry.

Ed turned to see Jules almost in a ball on the floor, with her head buried in her arms, and her hands over her ears, as she tried to block everything out. Block everything out that Ed had just said.

But she couldn't. Jules started crying.

Ed didn't know what to do with himself, so he left, knowing that if he didn't get home within the next five minutes, he'd start crying too.

Megan continued weeping, as she looked to the door, wanting this to be an elaborate prank and to see her father walk through the door. But he never did. She sat up and continued tearing until her eyes were dry.

Jules knew that Ed would never lie about this, but she wanted to believe that he was. When she saw Megan sit up on the couch, looking at the front door, she got up and hugged her daughter more closely than she ever did.

They fell asleep together, with Megan tightly embraced in Jules' arms. The next day, Greg came by with Laura Green, the police psychiatrist.

Jules didn't want to talk to Laura, and neither did Megan. Instead, they just continued crying for the next 3 hours, while Greg recounted Perra's career highlights, and commending him as an excellent officer.

Just as Laura and Greg were leaving, Spike came.

Maybe it was because Spike had seen death before, he initially gave Megan and Jules space, but once he knew that they were comfortable with him being there, he told them that everything was going to be ok.

Jules and Megan couldn't stop weeping though.

The SRU Commander came and assured both Megan and Jules that all funeral arrangements and expenses were going to be covered by the SRU under the Collective Bargaining Agreement Benefits, and also because he had died while on duty.

Just before the commander left, Jules brought herself back up, and held back her emotions and tears for a few moments to ask- "How did he die?"

The commander bit his lip.

"He was shot Mrs. Perrasmith. Again, I am sorry for your loss."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'd like to dedicate the following chapter to some of the following people who have either motivated me, kept me writing, or have just been there for me when I need help: DH- my mentor of the finer things in life- including writing; My late grandmother, who took things as they were and had a smile and a place in her heart for everyone who crossed her path; my best pal and partner in crime (when I actually mean music)- Derek; and finally, to my readers. I wish I could meet you guys, and to be honest, I really wish I could at least say thank you to everyone who reads the story.**

**The problem with the last part- I can't say thank you if you don't review!**


	35. End of a Man

**A/N: Ok- maybe I need to explain things a bit. Or should I? **

**Has anyone noticed that in the past two months I've written a lot more? Well I have, and that's because for the past two months I've been through hell, which surprisingly motivates me to write. And every time I wrote, I couldn't help but think of the MCD (Main Character Death) that I was planning from the beginning of things, so I spoke to my writing mentor (Thanks DH!) and I asked him how readers react to having a main character or even a hero dying within a story or plotline. I was told that there is a fine line. You have to make the reader understand the purpose of the death, but at the same time, not glorifying it to the point of insanity.**

**So yes, there is a context to the sub-plot of the death of our beloved Perra, and it's not just to satisfy the feelings and emotions I feel, but it's also for the sake of the plot as a whole.**

**I know that's a lot to take in, but feel free to ask me a question or anything like that in a review or a personal message.**

* * *

><p>Jules and Megan were ushered into the room by the attendants.<p>

It was something they knew they had to face, but one that they really didn't want to do.

Inside the room was the funeral director. He stood back. On the opposite wall, was the casket that the late Kristopher Allison Perrasmith was laid to rest in. White and red flowers adorned the space around it. To the left of the casket, were two pictures on an ornate stand. One picture was of Kris in his SRU uniform, standing proud and at attention. Beside it, was a picture of Jules and him on their wedding day.

Jules looked over to Megan- her daughter, Perra's daughter from his first marriage. She was fighting hard to keep back the tears that she had every day for the past week.

Side by side, and with Megan's hand in hers, Jules approached the open casket. She looked at the man that she still loves.

_They did a good job, considering. _Jules thought to herself.

She knew how he had died. A man shot him the throat.

Jules heard the door to the room open again, and she started to fight back her tears, not wanting to show anymore weakness than she had over the last week.

Lauren, Kris' adopted sister, with her daughter, Ella came in.

Lauren passed Ella to Megan, who comforted the still crying teenager.

_She isn't crying- why should I? _Megan thought.

Lauren looked over to the casket and then to her sister in law. Without a thought, they embraced each other.

"I'm sorry." Lauren said, stifling tears.

"It's not your fault." Jules said, as she pulled away, "Not your fault."

The funeral director approached Jules.

"I'm sorry to bother you Mrs. Perrasmith, do you want the doors opened to start the proceedings?"

"Yes." Jules said, as she took Megan's hand, as Megan handed Ella back to Lauren, "We're ready."

"And the casket?" the director carefully asked, "Open or closed?"

"Open." Jules whispered.

The director went over to the doors and opened them wide, allowing for the first wake to begin.

* * *

><p>Beside the casket, Jules stood. Beside her, was Megan, and next to her, was Lauren, with her three year old daughter.<p>

Everyone who came into the room immediately felt sorry for the three women who had to stand there and watch the parade of close friends and family come into the room.

The first ones to show were Ed, Spike and Greg, who all wore appropriate dress wear.

After paying his respects at the casket, Spike was the first to greet Jules.

"I'm sorry." Spike said, as he started to shake her hand, but instead ended up giving her a hug.

When Spike withdrew from the hug, Megan looked over and said "Thank you Spike."

"No," Spike explained, "It was an honor working with him. He had a gentle heart, and a hell of a sledge swing."

Jules and Megan managed a laugh through their tears.

"He said something to me….before he…" Spike started, "he told me 'take care of them'. I think he meant you guys."

Spike continued down to greet Lauren.

"Ed." Jules said, as Ed shook her hands.

Ed didn't say anything, and continued down the line.

Greg came up next.

"I apologize for my team leader; he didn't have his fruit loops this morning."

Then, as if everything was better, Megan started laughing.

"It's good to see that smile." Greg said, as he gave Megan a big hug.

Next was a man that Jules recognized. She remembered seeing him at a call once, and he was also Perra's best man at their wedding.

"Hey Julianna." He said, as he gave her a hug, "I'm gonna miss him. He was one of my best friends."

Megan looked over. She couldn't place him.

"Derek, this is my daughter, Megan." Jules introduced.

"I remember," he said, as he hugged Megan too, "I was your dad's best man at both of his weddings. The world's going to be a different place without him. Great guy, great guy…"

After that, Kiera and Winnie- the SRU dispatchers came in.

"Who's at the desk?" Jules managed to ask.

"Some other guy." Winnie said, as she shook Megan's hand, and Kiera shook Jules', "We're going out for drinks later tonight. Why don't the two of you come? If anyone needs a drink, it's you too."

"Thanks, Winnie," Jules replied, "We just have a lot of things to do."

"Ok- let me know if you want to get a drink sometime."

Then Jules' saw a familiar face.

"Wordy." She said, as she gave him a huge hug, "Thank you for coming."

"It's ok, Jules." Wordy said, "I only worked with him a few times, but that's the kind of guy you never forget. If you want to talk- anytime- day, night, give me a call."

Jules appreciated Wordy's concern.

"Hi." A woman said, as she approached.

"Hi." Jules said, "I'm sorry I don't…"

"Oh, it's Chantal. Chantal Sewell."

"I remember you." Megan said, "Nurse at St. Patrick's, right?"

"That's right." Chantal responded, "Daughter?"

Jules nodded, "Yeah."

"I'm sorry for your loss. When he was my supervisor he cut me a lot of slack when my aunt died. I hope you have someone who can do the same."

Then another woman approached.

"I know you." Jules said, "Emily, right?"

"Yeah- I was your father's lawyer." She explained to Megan, "He was my first client. I'm sad to see him go."

Jules and Megan looked at the long line that was developing of people who wanted to pay their respects.

Then a uniformed police officer approached.

"Oh, god." Megan muttered.

"What?" Jules' muttered back, "You know her?"

"She was the responding officer when I was assaulted."

"Hi," the cop said, as she shook Jules' hand, "Officer Jessica Sanders. He was my training officer when he worked in Brockville- he taught me everything I know."

Jessica looked over to the casket. "There was more than a few times that he saved my life. I only wish I could've saved his."

Then a tall, bearded man came up.

Jules' shook his hand, as he moved onto Megan.

"Megan- right?" he asked.

"Yeah…"  
>"I worked with your dad when he worked with the Border Services- Charles Cook. We were pretty close."<p>

"Thanks." Megan nervously replied, as he continued down the line.

Over the next hour, more and more people came, and it all seemed like a blur to Megan. She had almost gone through an entire box of facial tissues, mopping up the tears, before it would smear her makeup.

Everything was pretty much finished, when a man and a woman showed up. Jules noted how the man stopped at the casket, and the woman moved straight towards Jules.

"I'm so sorry I have to do this, but I just got here, and I need to get back." She said, as she shook Megan's hand, "Neither of you know who I am?"

Sadly, both Jules and Megan had to shake their heads.

"Well, good lord- I'll never understand that man. Annie Hughes- me and Haley, Kris' first wife were close, and me and Kris were in the same grade together from pre-school to grade eight."

Then, as if time was against her, she didn't even bother going to Lauren and zipped back out the door.

By then, the man stood up. It was only when he stood did Megan recognize him.

"I'll be damned-" he said to Megan, "You're his daughter?"

"Yeah."

He immediately shook Jules' hand, "Aaron Coutu, OPP Officer. Me and Kris were in the police academy together. If my memory serves me right, he could swing a door sledge pretty darn good."

"Yeah," came Jules' reply, "He could."

"I'm sorry for your loss Mrs. Perrasmith. He was a great man."

'_He was a great man', 'A great guy'. That's all I've been hearing all day. I know he was great- that's why I married him._

* * *

><p>After the single and only viewing, Jules and Megan went home. The funeral was going to be the next day.<p>

Over the past week, they had received hundreds of notes and cards in the mail, and they were all put in a box, which they left on the table.

Neither of them was in the mood to eat, even though the last time they ate was when Spike had brought over some sandwiches from a new Italian place he had found on Bloor.

"We might as well start going through these." Jules said, as they sat down at the table.

Right away, as Jules sat down, her eyes immediately turned to the chair where he used to sit. She peeked a glance over at Megan beside her, who was doing the same, only with tears in her eyes, and her makeup starting to smear.

Jules grabbed Megan's hand and squeezed it.

"I know it's hard Megan. We need to do this."

Together they started to go through the cards.

As they went through the cards, they sometimes said the name aloud, and read the message aloud. If they didn't, at least they did was write the down the return address so a thank you card could be sent.

"Ruby Foster-" Jules said, "Your husband and father was my mentor in Unit 52. With him around, I felt invincible. He's the cop that every little boy wants to be."

"Rose Davis," Megan read, "If you don't know, I was his cousin- once removed. I had lost my dog, and he came to the house and he spent all day looking for him. He had even called into work saying that he couldn't come in because he was helping his cousin find her dog. He was very loving and unselfish. The world needs more men like him."

Jules opened one card, looked at it and asked, "Did your dad ever mention a Christine Griffin?"

"No- why?" Megan asked.

"Listen to this: I'm sorry to break this code of silence in a time like this. I haven't seen Kris in almost 30 years. We were in first grade together, and we never knew that we had the same grandmother. I'm sorry I never took the chance to get to know him."

"Michele Ward said that dad helped her become a paramedic- gave her an excellent recommendation. She donated $100 to the Toronto Police Services Fallen Officer Fund." Megan said, as she opened a card.

"Same thing- only with Frank Collins- I worked with Kris down east in the security company. He motivated me to join the military. I donated $100 to the Fallen Soldiers Fund in his name." Jules responded.

"Emily Williams worked with him in the Border Services and she donated $500 to the TPS Fallen Officer Fund." Megan said with a whistle.

"Patrick Bennett and Catherine Long send their sincere regards to the Perrasmith family in this time of sadness."

"Who are they?" Megan asked.

"They work in team five of the SRU." Jules responded, as she recognized the names, from hearing them in passing.

"From Lisa Perry," Megan read, "It's addressed to me. Your father was a great man who sacrificed himself for the greater good. I was, and am still proud to have worked with him in Unit 52."

"Joesph Smith," Jules said, "Captain of the Brockville Police Services. When I started in the Brockville Service, I was still wet behind the ears. Even though he wasn't my training officer, Sargent Perrasmith took me in, and showed me the ropes. It's because of him who made me into who I am."

Jules and Megan looked at the box of letters and cards. There was still easily at least another fifty of them.

"Your dad was a great guy." Jules said to Megan, as they continued opening and reading the cards of condolences.

"He wasn't just great," Megan said, "He was my dad, and now he's gone. All that's left of him is an empty chair and 18 years of memories."

"It's the 18 years of memories that you'll want to remember." Jules' said, as she tried to keep Megan's morale up.

_But who's going to give me the pep talk when I need it? _She thought.

"I only want to remember the last three years," Megan said, "Because that's when he was the happiest. I don't want to remember the fights."

Jules remembered Megan telling her about the fights she had seen Perra and Haley in, in the months leading up to their divorce.

"I'll never leave you. You're my daughter, and that's the way things are staying."

* * *

><p>The next day at the funeral, three people got up and made a speech. The first one was Greg.<p>

"My name is Greg Parker, and Kristopher Perrasmith was an Officer on my team in the Strategic Response Unit. It's always sad to see a co-worker pass away, but it's even worse to see a friend pass away. Kristopher was not only a compassionate, caring police officer, but he was also a father and a husband. He leaves behind his wife of two years, going on three; Julianna Perrasmith, and his daughter, Megan Perrasmith. It also brings me great sadness to mention that Julianna Perrasmith is expecting her first child, and that Kristopher will never be able to see his child born. May he rest in peace."

The next person surprised even Jules and Megan, who wasn't expecting it- Lauren Perrasmith.

"For those of you who don't know- my name is Lauren Perrasmith- Kris' adopted sister. I remember, when we were kids, we would play 'Cops and Robbers' in our backyard. He never wanted to be a robber, he always wanted to be a cop. Whenever he became a real cop, I remember telling him, 'Now you can never be a robber', and he laughed. That's the part I'll miss the most. How he made me feel, how he made anyone feel. There was something about him, even when we were kids that I knew I was safe when he was around. Without him here today, I feel like a part of me is missing."

"My name is Ed Lane." Ed said, as he walked up, "I was there when he died. Even in death, he wanted to make sure that people were safe. He told me and my co-worker to 'take care of them'. I didn't need to ask who he meant- I knew he was talking about his wife, Jules, his daughter Megan, and his unborn child. His family was the world to him, and he was an excellent police officer. I raise my badge to him."

Ed then removed his police badge from his belt, and raised it in the air.

All around Megan and as she looked behind her, she realized that over half of the people in the church had followed suit, and raised their badges in honor of her father.

After the service- Ed, Spike, Greg, Wordy, Winnie and Kiera carried the closed casket out to the cemetery where Kristopher Allison Perrasmith was finally laid to rest.


	36. Endgames

"Megan- stay behind me!" Ed whispered.

"Copy that Ed." Megan responded, as she re-aligned her grip on the handgun.

"Do it, Spike." Ed commanded, as Spike started to get to work.

* * *

><p>Jules drove Megan into the SRU station. When they pulled up and parked, was when Jules realized that Perra's truck was still in the parking lot.<p>

"I'll have to take care of that too." Jules muttered to herself.

"I thought you were just dropping me off?" Megan said, as she got out of the Jeep with Jules.

"No, I need to talk to the Sarge. What does he have you doing today?"

"He wants me to do some warm up exercises and then wants to run me through the same testing that they would test an SRU Officer in.

Jules swallowed hard, as she squinted through the sunglasses. "Your dad would be proud of you."

Megan nodded as she gave Jules and hug before they walked into the SRU headquarters.

* * *

><p>After Megan left to work out in the gym, Jules continued walking down the administration hallway and found her way to Greg's office.<p>

She stuck her head into the open doorway, and Greg immediately had his attention on her.

"How can I help you?" Greg asked, as she took a seat across from her, "How you been?"

"Getting through," Jules commented, "It's hard, but we're making do."

"You just need some time." Greg replied.

"That's what I want to talk to you about-" Jules started, "I want to request extended bereavement leave."

"How long you thinking?" Greg asked with concern, "Because you can take however long you want. But if it's more than a month, I'll have to-"

"I know, Sarge." Jules said, cutting him off, "You'll have to find a replacement. I just want to make sure I'm ready. I still haven't thrown out his tooth-brush."

"If you want to talk to anyone…"

"I don't want to talk to Laura, to be honest, I'm not even sure if I want to talk to you. We all saw Lewis die, and that was hard. But what's even harder is that I lost someone that I was close to, that I was married to. You can't just erase nearly three years of your life. Yesterday, some junk mail came for him, and I cried, boss. I don't know how I'm going to react, and until I do, I can't work."

"Are you saying you're unfit for duty?"

"Yes- I'm unfit for duty until further notice."

* * *

><p>After Jules and Megan went their own way, Megan found her way into the SRU gym, and started doing some basic stretches.<p>

"Flexible like a swan." She heard a man comment from behind her.

She spun her head to see Spike leaning up against the wall, in full uniform.

"Enjoying the show?" Megan asked.

"He better not be." Ed asked from the doorway of the debriefing room, "Megan, Spike, you mind coming in here for a second?"

Megan got up and followed Spike into the debriefing room.

"What's going on?" Spike asked.

"Well, we're a man down…" Ed started, as he took in Megan's expression, not wanting to push her, emotionally, "And we need a replacement. I was talking to both the commander and Greg yesterday, and we came up with a pretty creative solution."

"Which is?" Spike asked.

"Me." Megan finished.

"That's right." Ed said, "You're not technically a police officer yet, so you can't fulfill the position of an officer, but both the commander and Greg are willing to send letters of recommendation to the Police Association of Ontario highlighting your excellent and well rated achievements both inside and outside the classroom. With that you can be awarded a certification from the Police Academy of Officer-In-Training, and you could immediately start working with Team One as an officer-in-training. If you agree, you won't require any more schooling, but you will be required to meet and pass all SRU requirements. As well, this training would be for SRU only, which means if two years down the line you want to go K9, or something else, you'll have to finish your schooling."

"Can I…" Megan started.

"Exactly like your father, a thinker."

Ed regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. He looked over Megan's expression again before continuing, "It's just that we need an answer Meg."

"Yes." Came Megan's reply.

"Excellent. It isn't official just yet, but welcome aboard Officer in Training Megan Perrasmith."

* * *

><p>Jules signed some papers for Greg, which would allow her to continue her bereavement leave, and that since she was declaring herself unfit for duty that she would have to re-qualify to come back to work.<p>

After the paperwork, she left Greg's office and continued walking down the administration hallway, again, looking for another office.

She came to a door, that had a glazed window, so a person couldn't see in, but it was marked with a sign noting 'Emily Makinson- Strategic Response Unit Police Services Legal Representative'.

She knocked on the door.

Emily opened the door.

"Who is it?" she asked, only opening the door a few inches.

"It's Jules Perrasmith. I was wondering if I could talk to you about some legal concerns."

She opened the door wide, and let her in.

It was Jules' first time in a legal representative's office. It wasn't as drab as Greg's but it still had the faux-stainless steel wall finishing that was throughout the SRU building.

After Jules and Emily took a seat Emily asked, "How can I help you?"

"Well, I was wondering if I could have access to the case files of my husband's death."

Emily gave Jules a blank stare. "I've seen that file. It has some pictures that you may not want to see. What did you want it for?"

"I just want to know more information, because I was thinking…well, you're going to think it's stupid."

"Nothing is stupid Jules," Emily said, "I just think it's unconventional unless you're building a case."

Emily looked into Jules' eye.

"You're building a case- aren't you?" Emily asked.

"I don't have a lawyer yet, but, yeah."

"Who do you want to sue?" Emily asked, "Don't worry- client confidentiality."

"Would you be able to help me- as my lawyer?"

"Absolutely- unless you're going after something public; if its private and it pertains to the Toronto Police Services, and even better, the Strategic Response Unit, I can and will help you. Who do you want to sue, and for what?"

"Greg Parker and Edward Lane for disregard of officer safety and wrongful death of a police officer."

"Ok- let's get started then."

* * *

><p>After Megan finished her stretches, Greg came out and gave her a few pointers to the test that he was going to have her do.<p>

"Got it?" Greg asked, as they stood outside, in full gear, waiting at the beginning of the same obstacle course that her father had run on his SRU re-qualifying test.

Once the whistle blew, Megan gave it her all in the first stretch of the run, and she easily cleared all of the barricades. It was her first time wearing actual SRU issued uniforms, but it felt similar to her Humber College uniforms. The parts that threw her for a loop was the added weight of the vest, gear, and dummy weapons.

Once she got to the ladder, she expected to be out of breath, but immediately started climbing. Instead of exerting too much upward pressure on her arm muscles to pull her over onto the platform, she anchored her right elbow and rolled over.

"See that?" Ed said, as he started putting on the foam protection for the hand to hand section, "She's creative. Never seen anyone do that before."

"She's a smart kid, Eddie." Greg commented, as he made a note on his clipboard.

Once on the platform, Megan secured the dummy to her using a rope harness, and tied off another piece of rope to the structure as she descended on the rope.

_What on earth are you doing? _Spike thought, as he observed from a distance, who didn't understand her untraditional methods.

Once back on the ground, Megan dropped and secured the dummy. She heard the paintballs whizzing by her on all sides, and instead of grabbing a shield, she immediately took cover.

_This is why dad took me to the paintball arena to play some speedball…_

She immediately scanned the field, and found her best route, which she took.

She sensed that she was getting closer to the source of the paintball gun, so she took cover behind the nearest bunker. She chanced a peek at the shooter of the paintball gun and saw Spike firing away with a smile on his face.

Once Megan had cleared Spike's field of death, she was tackled by Ed onto a foam mat.

Megan was knocked to the ground, but with her practiced agility, she was too fast for Ed to actually fall onto her, and instead Ed fell onto his chest, with Megan standing up.

"Excellent, continue." Ed confirmed.

Megan ran down the last section, which had even taller barricades to jump over. Her legs were starting to become sore, but she ignored the pain and crossed the finishing line.

Once there, she immediately grabbed a bottle of water and downed the entire thing. It was a good thing that there was another foam mat here, because she decided to lay down to let her exhausted muscles relax.

"That was good." Ed said, as he approached her, "I've never seen anyone lift themselves onto the platform before like that, and no one has ever used a rope harness to secure the dummy to themselves and rappel down the wall."

"Didn't want to over exert the biceps in a singular motion, and the rappel serves as the path of least resistance to the ground," Megan explained, "If you used the foot and hand holds to go down, you are then limiting yourself to one hand and one foot. In a situation where you are apprehending a suspect, you would ideally want to use both of your hands and feet, in case the suspect over-powers the officer."

"I've heard that somewhere…" Spike said, "Oh, that's right, Basic Police Training textbook."

Greg walked over and shared the results, "Ok, your time was one minute, and thirty seven seconds. If this would have been an actual SRU testing, you would have definitely passed. Didn't listen to my tips though- why did you full out run in the first section?"

"I knew I had the energy to do so, Sir." Megan responded.

"Ok." Greg accepted.

"Team One- hot call," came Winnie's voice over the loud-speaker, "Armed…something in progress."

Spike and Greg immediately ran back to the station. Ed however, gave Megan a hand to get back up on her feet.

"Just go to your call Ed." She said, as she stood back up.

"Did you think we'd leave you here? You're coming with us."

* * *

><p>Megan rode in Ed's SUV, while Spike and Greg rode in another.<p>

"SRU Rover Crew Sargent Megan Perrasmith is on this call with us." Ed radioed them, "Spike, she'll need a radio when we get there, do you copy?"

"Copy that." Came his reply.

"Ok, Megan," Ed said, "reach into the back there, and grab one of those Glock 17s. Take off that ridiculous training MP5, and attach one of the MP5A3s to your vest.

"For real?" Megan said, as she reached back and started doing what she was told.

"This is for real, Megan." Ed explained, "You do everything that your superiors tell you, and you will be fine. If me or Greg tells you to stand down, you stand down. If anyone tells you to do something specific, you do it, and if Greg calls Scorpio?"

"I shoot?" Megan asked, as she took in the scope of things.

"That's exactly right, you shoot."

Once there, Megan got out with Ed, and followed him into the command truck, which had arrived.

Once inside, Spike was already at work on the computers.

"Radio's ready for you." He said, as he nodded to the equipment on the desk.

Without guidance, Megan was able to setup the radio.

"What do we got Spike?" Ed asked.

"An armed stick 'em up at Frontier Videos, specializes in state of the art video games and video game systems."

"Customer?" Greg asked, as he took notes.

"Or a disgruntled employee." Megan offered.

Greg snapped his fingers and touched his temple, "Good thinking Meg. Tac plans Ed?"

"Intel. We'll get eyes and ears in. Let's move Meg."

Together Ed and Megan left the truck. Ed opened an SUV and grabbed a large bag and handed it to Megan to carry. "We got a location for our eyes yet Spike?"

"Under the front door is going to be your best bet. No roof access."

Megan followed Ed to the front door, as they used a thick cement pillar for cover.

"Do you know how to setup eyes?" Ed asked, as he looked to the door then back at Megan.

He didn't even need to ask, as Megan had already opened the bag, picked out the proper receiver and a long video snake.

"Good job." Ed commented, as she made the connections and fed the snake camera under the front door.

Once under, Megan pressed the transmit button, and radioed into the command truck, "Eyes online."

In the truck, Spike looked impressed. "She's a natural." He said to Greg.

"Ok, Eddie," Greg said, not even reacting to Spike's comment, "We got a single suspect- looks like he's holding a needle."

"A needle?" Ed asked, "The weapon of choice is a needle?"

"More available than a gun," Megan said, as she starting making the connections to the receiver to get the ears online, "Lots of people have them for legitimate reasons, available from pharmacies and training colleges. Ears online."

"I told you-" the suspect said, as Spike routed the signal over the headset, "All I want is an apology."

"I told you sir, I'm sorry it didn't-"

"I want a real apology!"

"You going to call in boss?" Ed asked.

"Yeah, copy that Ed- take Spike, see if you guys can get in there and stay concealed."

"10-4." Spike said, "I'm coming to you."

Once Spike was at the same location as Ed and Megan, he whispered that there was a rear loading dock that would take them through the stock and staff rooms.

At the loading dock, Ed nodded to Megan than at the lock.  
>"Don't know how." She admitted.<p>

Without further discussion however, Spike unlocked the door, and they entered. Once inside, they silently crept through the stock room, and into the staff room. In the staff room, they found two staff members who had taken cover.

Ed motioned to them to stay quiet.

"In position." Ed radioed Greg.

"I think they've moved around a bit Ed, have Spike recon the area."

Spike pulled out a telescopic mirror and used it to see into the front area.

"Two cashiers, one male, one female. One suspect- no other persons."

"Alright Eddie, he's going to threat level red, you need to get in there."

"Copy that boss," Ed whispered, "Draw your weapon. Spike- strobe and CS gas. Megan- stay behind me!"

"Copy that Ed." Megan responded, as she drew her handgun out of its holster for the first time, and aligned it to a tight, firm grip.

"Do it, Spike." Ed commanded, as Spike had drawn out a strobe and CS gas.

Spike immediately threw in the strobe and CS gas at the same time. Upon impact with the floor, the strobe immediately began flashing high intensity colored light, and the CS gas started spewing out.

Spike had handed Megan a spare gas mask, and all three of them wore their masks as they entered.

Ed went first, followed by Megan, as Spike took up the rear.

"Police- SRU! Put the needle down, do it now!" Ed yelled.

"Put it down!" Spike yelled from behind Megan.

The adrenaline pumped into Megan, she took a tactical stance as her father had taught her, and without hesitation yelled, "Put it down, and heads on your head!"

With the appearance of the SRU, the man immediately dropped the needle as Ed placed a set of cuffs on him.

Spike handed Megan a single needle sharps container, as she carefully picked up the needle with her hand and placed it in the container.

"Suspect detained." Ed radioed in.

"Good job Team One, good job." Greg cheered from the command truck.


	37. Acceptance

Megan sat at the kitchen table for most of the night. Tomorrow was going to be her first day as a full-time Officer in Training with Team One.

Spike had let her take a set of lock-picks home, and some practice locks, as she had passed her SRU qualifying tests, but she really needed to work on the lock picking part, which she had only received an "Acceptable" mark on it. She wanted to attain at least an "Excellent".

She glanced at the stopwatch app on her phone that was timing her while she unlocked what was supposed to be a simple interior single pin lock.

_Simple…yeah right._

There was a few times during the night where she had looked up and across the table, hoping her father would be sitting there, watching over her, and giving her words of encouragement.

_But he isn't there. _

Finally, after 45 seconds, she had opened the lock.

She looked at the chart that Spike had written down the types of different locks, and under what time they had to be unlocked in order to get an "Excellent".

She finally found the interior single pin lock in the chart and went over.

_45 Seconds- Acceptable. Dammit!_

Then her phone vibrated. She picked it up expecting it to be a phone call, but instead it was a text from her mom. Instead of reading it, she immediately deleted it, as she made her way up stairs and into the bedroom that her parents once shared.

Megan looked around. It had been three weeks since her dad died, and everything looked the same.

"Mom- did you text me?" Megan asked Jules.

"Yeah." She responded, "Did you sleep?"

"No- I've been working on the locks all night."

"You changed the locks?" Jules asked with confusion.

"No, the practice locks."

"Oh, right." Jules said, as she made no intentions of getting out of bed, "You should get some sleep."

Megan left the room.

_I don't want to sleep. And it's not because I'm working on the locks, it's because I'm still having dreams that my father is still alive, and I don't want to delude myself into thinking that he is._

_And I know for a fact that mom isn't getting much sleep. Because when I didn't hear her rolling around in bed, I hear her talking in her sleep. I've never heard her talk in her sleep before until a few nights ago._

_It was really creepy- I was sitting up in bed when I heard her start talking. When I got into the hall, that's when I heard it- she was talking to dad. She's obviously having dreams about him too._

She looked up to the clock in the living room.

0603 hours. _Dad would be proud- using the 24 hour clock now. I'll change, go for a run, come home shower- should be around 0800 by then. Ask mom if I can take the Jeep, since she still hasn't picked dad's truck up from the SRU parking lot yet, into work._

* * *

><p>Ed decided to go into work early. When he pulled in, he noted two other vehicles in the parking lot. One was Greg's and the other was Perra's.<p>

It has been like that since he died, so he thought nothing of it, and went inside.

Instead of going right for the locker room, he went to Greg's office first.

"First day- you excited?" Greg asked Ed, when he came in.

"I'm excited to have her. She's an excellent addition to the Team. Don't know what we're going to do with her once Jules comes back, but I'm sure we can figure something out."

"I don't think Jules is coming back to SRU Ed." Greg said, as he pointed down to a large envelope.

"She quit?" Ed asked.

"No- last week, the day that Megan did her preliminary SRU testing, Jules came in and told me that she wanted to extend her bereavement leave."

"Until when?"

"Until further notice."

"So? People grieve in different ways boss- you know that." Ed replied.

"It's not that simple Eddie," Greg said, as he picked up the envelope and removed two papers from it, "This is a notice that Sargent Gregory Parker and Team Leader Edward Lane are hereby being sued in the sum of $500,000 for the Disregard of Officer Safety in regards to the death of Kristopher Perrasmith by the party of the survivors of Kristopher Perrasmith, represented by Emily Makinson."

"What?" Ed asked, stunned.

"And there's another one- This is a notice that Sargent Gregory Parker and Team Leader Edward Lane are hereby being sued in the sum of $500,000 for the Wrongful Death of a Police Officer in regards to the death of Kristopher Perrasmith by the party of the survivors of Kristopher Perrasmith, represented by Emily Makinson."

"We're being sued."

"Yeah." Greg replied.

"Does she blame us?" Ed asked, "Does she think that we willfully sent him into an unsafe situation that resulted in his death?"

"No, I don't think she does Eddie- like you said, people grieve in different ways. She's just looking for closure."

"What's her defense?" Ed asked.

"Her lawyer is preparing an official statement; it also says that we are to not have any contact with Julianna Perrasmith for the duration of the case."

"So what? This goes to the public? Who is a judge going to side with- a widow in mourning over the loss of her husband, or two police officers?"

"That's why we're not going public with this Eddie; we're keeping this under Internal Affairs."

"So what happens?" Ed asked.

"Well, she's technically suing us, but at the same time SUI won't let that happen, so it'll most likely be SUI that ends up paying for all this. If it helps, Ed, I'm willing to settle. But you need to be prepared, because someday we're going to have to go on record and give a statement on what happened."

"Alright." Ed said, "You're going to take care of all the paperwork for this?"

"Yeah, don't worry Eddie."

* * *

><p>Megan drove into work and parked her mom's Jeep carefully.<p>

Once inside, she made her way into the women's locker room, where she had already setup her locker.

The problem was, once she got to her locker, someone was blocking it.

Ed Lane.

"Ed- what are you doing in here?" Megan asked.

"I have a question for you."

"It couldn't wait?" Megan asked, as she unlocked her locker, since Ed had moved out of the way.

"I didn't want anyone to hear what I'm going to ask, you because I'm assuming it's all close-lipped."

Megan turned around. "What then?"

"Do you blame me for your father's death?" Ed asked bluntly.

Megan thought about it. No one had been so blunt with her since…

A tear started to form up, and Ed noticed it.

"I didn't mean to..." he started.

"No," Megan answered, "It's not your fault Ed. Why?"

"You don't know?" Ed asked.

"Know what?" Megan asked, as a few tears fell down her face, "No one has talked to me, Ed. The only person who's willing to talk about things with me is Spike, but he's been keeping his distance since the funeral."

"I'm sorry," Ed said, as he started out of the women's locker room, "Sorry."

* * *

><p>Once changed into uniform, Megan met Ed, Spike and Greg in the gym.<p>

"So what's going on?" Spike asked, "We still on for that warrant today?"

"Yes sir. And it is because of that warrant that we're going to drill this morning, am I right Mr. Lane?"

"That's right," Ed said, as he lead us into the section of the building were teams could drill entries into apartments, homes, and much more, "Alpha one- me and the boss, on aggressive main door entry, while alpha two of Spike and Megan on explosive side entry with flash bangs and suppression gas. We have the very lovely Donna Sabeen standing in today as our suspect, Natasha Livermore. We expect her to be armed, but she does not know we're coming. Am I clear?"

"Copy that."

* * *

><p>Megan and Spike readied themselves while Greg and Ed got into position.<p>

Megan watched Spike fiddling with his sling attachment to his MP5.

"Attach it to the 2nd position on the firearm Spike, and you should be more comfortable so it won't be pulling on your shoulder, which then causes your vest to slide, resulting in some nasty vest burn."

"You really are a wealth of information, aren't you?" Spike asked, as he switched the sling mount on the MP5 from the rear point to the side point, "Textbook- that's your new nickname."

"So you've decided to call me 'textbook' because I gave you valuable information that is going to help your comfort level as a whole?" Megan asked, as she got antsy with anticipation.

"Maybe" Spike whispered, "Ed- is alpha one in position yet, or should we wait for you to finish your Eggo?"

"Alpha One in position." Ed radioed in, "Alpha two?"

"We were ready five minutes ago." Spike said, at the same time Megan radioed, "Awaiting your signal."

"Dynamic entry in three, two, one…"

In one swift movement, Megan kicked in the door, as Spike dropped in the flash bang and the suppression gas, all of which released when it hit the ground.

Megan entered first, MP5 ready, with Spike right behind her. It was the job of alpha two to secure the premises while alpha one would make the arrest.

"Bathroom clear!" Spike announced.

"Bedroom and kitchen clear!" Megan sounded out.

"Living room clear alpha two," Greg radioed, "Subject in custody."

Once the simulation was over, the workers of the simulation house turned on the main lights.

"Can someone get these cuffs off of me?" Donna asked, as Spike, Ed, and Greg walked away.

Megan got out her handcuff key and unlocked Donna's cuffs.

"Thanks." Donna responded, "I'm sorry about your dad."

"Everybody is." Megan said, as she put her key back on her belt, and ran ahead to catch up with the rest of Team One.

* * *

><p>After the drill, the warrant finally came in, so Team One went out to act upon it.<p>

Setting up exactly like they did at the drill house, but this time with radio silence and stealth, alpha one and two got into position.

"Alpha two in position." Megan whispered into the radio.

"Copy that alpha two- alpha one ready. Wait for your signal." Ed responded.

"Go, go, go , go!" came Ed's signal.

At the same time that Greg used the door sledge to slam open the main door, Megan, like practiced, kicked in the small door and entered.

Immediately she entered the kitchen, only unlike in practice, there were additional people in the apartment.

"I got more signatures in the Kitchen! Police, SRU, get on the ground!" Megan yelled out, as she approached them.

They all followed their orders, as they got on the ground and offered their hands, all of which Megan quickly placed a set of zip cuffs on.

"Three persons in custody!" she yelled out, "Alpha two, mark one, entering bedroom!"

"Bathroom clear!" Spike yelled out.

"Bedroom clear!" Megan relayed to the rest of the team.

"Natasha Livermore in custody!" Ed yelled out.

* * *

><p>After Natasha Livermore and her house guests got transferred into lock-up, Team One defected back to base.<p>

The rest of the shift- Spike did a practice test of the locks with Megan before the actual test with Greg.

This time she got her "Excellent" mark.

_Maybe it's because I'm more confident now. Maybe…I don't know._

At the end of her shift, as she was heading out, she saw a crew putting the finishing touches on a monumental plaque that was placed in the foyer of SRU. It was placed right beside where Spike had once shown her Lewis' picture, a guy who got killed by a landmine in the line of duty.

Megan approached it, and saw the details of the plaque.

At the top was the Toronto Police Services logo, alongside the SRU logo. Underneath it, in italic writing was 'Kristopher Perrasmith', followed by a picture of him, then a few lines- 'Proud and brave Officer, Loving Husband and caring Father. September 2012.'


	38. Five Phases of Dying

"It's beautiful Megan." Jules said.

It wasn't the reaction Megan was expecting when she had shown her mother the tattoo that she got on her upper left arm.

"Really?" Megan asked, "I was expecting something else."

Jules smiled. "It's awesome. The SRU logo, with the Navy sword, embellished by white and red roses."

"Yeah, "Megan said, as she looked down at it, "Because dad was part of SRU, and my granddad was in the Navy. The red rose for the lives saved…."

"And the white rose for the lives lost and gone to heaven." Jules finished, "Just like your dad's."

Megan looked down at the fresh ink.

_That's why I got it._

* * *

><p>"So, it's been…"<p>

"A month." Megan finished.

Megan had tried to convince her mother into coming with her, but Jules was adamant that she didn't need any of it. That, and Jules had her own things to attend to.

"It's been a month since your father died." Laura Green- the SRU psychologist stated, "How do you feel about that?"

"I feel lost." Megan admitted. Since her father's death, she had seemed fine, but inside her mind was a self-prescribed hell, "Like I don't know what to do. I'll be eating breakfast, and I still expect him to come down the stairs and sit across from me. It's just…"

"It's hard," Laura finished, "I know, but you'll get through it, and I'll help you through it- if it takes one week or one year of therapy- I'll help you."

"Thank you." Megan replied in a weak voice.

"Why don't you tell me how you feel- how do you feel when you wake up in the morning, or when you're doing things that you're father would've helped you with."

"I don't sleep very well." Megan said, "I don't know why. Well- every time I do sleep, I dream of my dad, and then when I wake up, I think he's still alive."

"That's called sleep induced paranoid delusions." Laura explained, "If you're having a hard time sleeping, I can prescribe you a medication to help with that, but why don't we finish up talking?"

"Ok."

"What makes you happy?"

"It's going to sound stupid."

"Believe me, Megan; I've been doing this for close to ten years- I've heard it all."

"What makes me happy is my job." Megan thought out loud, as she rubbed her arm, "Ow."

"Did you hurt your arm?" Laura asked.

"No, I just got my first tattoo."

"Oh- what is it?"

Megan rolled up her sleeve, and showed the psychologist.

"Can you tell me why you decided to do that Megan?" Laura asked her.

"What do you mean?"

"I just find it peculiar that a person who is trying to get over the death of a family member would symbolize said death in a graphic way."

"Because it's all that I have left," Megan replied, with tears in her eyes, "It's to symbolize the sacrifices that my father and my grandfather made to save those who cannot save themselves."

Laura passed her a box of tissues. "Megan- are you familiar with the five phases of dying?"

"No."

"The five phases of dying are typically applied in situations where a person is told that they are going to die. The phases are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally acceptance. These phases can, and have been applied in situations of people coping with the death of another person. It would seem that you are trying to jump to acceptance, when you may very well be in the bargaining or depression phases."

"Ok…"

"In the past month have you found yourself thinking that, at any minute, your father is going to come through the door, and give you a hug?"

"Sometimes."

"In the past month have you felt so powerless, so disconnected that you have thought of, or considered suicide as a possible solution?"

"No."

"That's good Megan," Laura said, as she grabbed a small paper pad and started scribbling some writing on it, "But at some point, you may have those thoughts. I'm going to try to prevent it by prescribing anti-depressants. I'll also get you some proper medication that will not have any negative reactions with the anti-depressants that will allow you to sleep."

"But- my job…" Megan started.

"This won't affect your job." Laura assured her, "You were taking pro-active precautions in coming to me for assistance. But, if your SRU skills decline, I may have to decrease the size of the dose if you're doing well."

"And if I'm not?" Megan asked, "If I'm not doing well?"

"If there's evidence to prove that the medications are effective, and that your job is affected, then I will be obliged to remove you from duty."

* * *

><p>"Your name?"<p>

"Julianna Perrasmith."

"Ok, Mrs. Perrasmith." The SIU lawyer continued, "You were in fact married to Kristopher Perrasmith, correct?"

"Yes."

Jules, and Emily Makinson- her lawyer, along with Ed and Greg, with their SIU lawyer sat in a Strategic Response Unit conference room for the hearing of the cases that Jules was suing both Greg and Ed for Disregard of Officer Safety & Wrongful Death of a Police Officer.

"Ms. Perrasmith-" the lawyer continued.

"It's Mrs. Perrasmith." Jules corrected.

"Mrs. Perrasmith- were you aware that your husband was taking Ceptrilicil- a sleep inducing drug?"

"Yes- my husband had seen his doctor a week before his death and he was diagnosed with sleep apnea, so he was given the drug to insure that he would get a proper night's sleep." Came Jules' reply.

"Is it possible that your husband was- 'hazy', and therefore did not have the proper cognitive function to be a part of the security detail?"

"No. The security detail was at 1500 hours. My husband had woken up at 0900 hours. He was taking additional vitamins to counteract any negative side effects of the drug."

"Well, I find that very strange, as the drug panel that was performed following the death…"

"Inadmissible." Emily stated, "There was no reason for a drug panel to have been performed following the death of my client."

"Well, regardless, a drug panel was performed, and no vitamins were found- only trace amounts of Ceptrilicil" the lawyer continued.

"Are you done examining my client, Harold?" Emily asked, calling the lawyer by name.

"Yes."

"Good." Emily continued on, "Sargent Greg Parker- you contacted Julianna Perrasmith at 1205 hours on the date in question, regarding on the location of her and her husband?"

"Yes." Greg answered.

"When Mrs. Perrasmith informed you that Mr. Perrasmith was already out in town, you informed her that you would contact him yourself, and that Julianna Perrasmith was not required to report for duty for the security detail of the court security?"

"Yes."

"So it was your decision to use only Officers Lane, Perrasmith and Scarlatti?"

"Yes."

"Harold- with your permission, I'd like to call upon a witness."

"Please."

Emily got up, and opened the door and ushered in Spike.

"Your name please." Emily asked, as they both sat down.

"Michelangelo Scarlatti. My team calls me Spike."

"Thank you Mr. Scarlatti," Emily responded, "From a professional standpoint, would have the security detail at the courthouse have been easier had the entirety of Team One from the Strategic Response Unit been used?"

"Yeah, I suppose so." Spike replied, as he looked over to Greg, then Jules, "But we had things under control."

"Had there have been another officer assisting you with the access control- would the firearm that Mr. Santos used been noticed before he was cleared to enter the courtroom?"

"Yes, I guess so."

"Mr. Parker, Mr. Lane-" Emily addressed, "As Mr. Scarlatti just pointed out- the security detail may have been easier had the entire team been present. What were the reasons?"

"According to the information at hand," Ed explained, "We had reason to believe that three officers were going to be enough for the detail."

"Then why did Greg Parker call Mrs. Perrasmith at 1205, inquiring if both officers Julianna and Kristopher Perrasmith could be present? Is it possible- Greg, that you disregarded the safety of the officers that you command by okaying the use of less than a full Strategic Response Unit team?"

Greg bit his lip. "Yes." Came his reply, "I made the decision to use only three officers."

"Fair enough," Emily said with a smile, as she turned over a page in the file in front of her, "Let's move on."

"To what?" Harold asked.

"To the accusation of Wrongful Death of a Police Officer." Emily explained, "Now- part of that ties into the Disregard of Officer Safety that Mr. Parker just admitted guilty to."

"He did not admit guilt." Harold said, as he turned to the woman at the end of the table, who was transcribing the hearing, "What was said?"

The woman cleared her throat, "Mrs. Makinson asked 'Is it possible- Greg, that you disregarded the safety of the officers that you command by okaying the use of less than a full Strategic Response Unit team?' and Mr. Parker replied with 'Yes- I made the decision to use only three officers.' "

"How does that read to you, Harold?" Emily asked.

Harold didn't reply.

"I thought so." Emily stated, as she continued on, "Like I was saying, the accusation of Wrongful Death can be linked to the Disregard of Officer safety. If the safety of the officer was disregarded by a ranking superior, it therefore makes the death of an officer in that situation wrongful, but I digress. Edward Lane- you are the Team Leader of Team One?"

"Team Leader and tactician." Ed corrected.

"Sorry about that," Emily apologized, as she corrected her records, "Do you prefer Edward or Ed?"

"Ed."

"Michelangelo Scarlatti," Emily asked Spike, "In the suspect engagement- who was the first officer to make a verbal engagement with Mr. Santos?"

"Both myself, Ed and Perra made chartered demands to Mr. Santos to drop the weapon, for a peaceful surrender."

"And when he didn't surrender the weapon?" Emily asked.

"Ed started suspect engagement as a negotiator."

"Ed," Emily continued talking, "Did you to, the full extent make any and all attempts to negotiate the suspect from a Threat Level Red, to any lower threat level?"

"Yes- I started negotiations, but Mr. Santos was unresponsive to negotiation tactics." Ed replied.

"I'll refer to the transcript," Emily said, as she pulled out the transcript, "Lane- 'Put the gun down, and let the judge do his job. This judge will make sure the law is upheld', Suspect, unclear. Then, Mr. Perrasmith said 'See these guns here sir- Heckler and Koch MP5 A3, capable of firing in 3 shot bursts and fully automatic at eight hundred rounds a minute, so unless you want a live demonstration, I suggest you put the gun down.'- Correct?"

"That sounds right." Ed guessed.

"Why did Mr. Perrasmith continue negotiations? Are you an incompetent negotiator? Did you pass the negotiation responsibilities onto Kristopher Perrasmith?"

"Yes." Ed replied.

"I refer to the Strategic Response Unit Operations Manual- Section 2, subsection 3, titled 'Rules of Suspect Engagement'. Paragraph One- line 3, 'The officer that makes first contact with said suspect will henceforth be the principal negotiator in any incident, non-violent, violent, or critical in nature.' " Emily said, as she read from the manual.

"Where'd you get that?" Greg asked, knowing fully well that only SRU personnel have copies of the Operations Manual.

"Borrowed it from Megan Perrasmith- the daughter of my client," Emily said, " 'In the event that the negotiator cannot de-escalate the incident using negotiation tactics, or in the event, that the Priority of Life Code becomes threatened, any and all responding Strategic Response Unit members are to use Advanced Police Tactics and or firearms to apprehend, contain and or secure the suspect.' "

"And?" Ed asked.

"You disregarded Strategic Response Unit policies, which are designed for the safety of the officers. Your disregard of Strategic Response Unit policy then caused the wrongful death of Mr. Perrasmith, due to your incompetency in the role of Team Leader and Tactician." Emily accused.

"Don't answer that Ed." Harold intervened, "Special Investigations Unit admits to the accusations of Disregard of Officer Safety and for the Wrongful Death of a Police Officer. SIU will work alongside the command and administration teams of SRU to ensure that the policies are not violated again, and will also assist in any disciplinary action towards Sargent Greg Parker and Team Leader Edward Lane. On behalf of the Toronto Police Services, we apologize and will award the party of the survivors of the late Kristopher Perrasmith one million dollars, minus legal and administration fees for the Disregard of Officer Safety and for the Wrongful Death of a Police Officer."

Jules wrote on a piece of paper and handed it to Emily.

"My client accepts the remuneration." Emily stated.

* * *

><p>Megan waited outside the conference room where her mom was in. After waiting for about ten minutes, Jules came out.<p>

"Let's go." Jules said with a smile.

Once outside in the parking lot, Megan said, "I need to stop by a pharmacy."

"Why?" Jules asked, as they got into the Jeep.

"I got some prescriptions to fill." Megan said, as she showed her mom the sheets that Dr. Laura Green gave her.

"What did she give you?" Jules asked, as she started driving, "Going to affect your job?"

"No." Megan said, as she read an incoming text on her phone, "I'm just trying to get over it. Why can't you?"

"I'm over it." Jules said, as she turned a corner, "Now I am."

"Yeah- by suing Greg and Ed for a million bucks?"

Jules looked over to Megan. "How'd you find out?"

"Spike just texted me- he asked if we're installing a private gym in the backyard."

Jules laughed. "We have something else to do too."

Megan sighed, "Does it have to be done today?"

"If you want to get over it, yeah, we do. We're going to the courthouse for the reading of the will."

* * *

><p>After Megan filled her prescriptions, and had taken her anti-depressants as directed, they continued on to the courthouse.<p>

Once inside, the security guard escorted them to the office of the Justice of the Peace.

Jules, although was more interested in the courtrooms, as they passed them.

_That one- that's the courthouse where my husband was shot._

Once they were in the office, the Justice of the Peace came in.

"My name is Joseph Yasef, and I will be reading the Final Will and Testament of the late Kristopher Allison Perrasmith." He introduced, as he sat down, and opened a large envelope, "The Final Will and Testament of Kristopher Allison Perrasmith. In the event that I have died in the line of duty, as a police officer, my funeral expenses are to be paid under the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Police Services of Ontario Union, local three four five, and the Toronto Police Services. In the event of my passing, other than in regards to my established career, then the cost of funeral and other final expenses are to come from the estate of my finances. All my possessions, belongings, and finances- henceforth as my estate will be passed onto my living successor- Julianna Perrasmith. In the event that Julianna Perrasmith is pre-deceased, my living successor will be Megan Perrasmith. In the circumstance that neither of my successors are available to obtain my estate on the grounds of death and/or mental capacities, my adopted sister- Lauren Perrasmith and her daughter Ella Perrasmith are to claim the ownership of my estate. Exceptions to the ownership of estate are as follows- all of my firearms are to go to my successor save the following; the Smith and Wesson 1911, serial number 56E7891, is to go to Lauren or Ella Perrasmith. The Chilean M98 Mauser bolt action, serial number 77745, is to go to Megan Perrasmith. The gold ring that was found in Germany by my grandfather, which is enclosed with this document, is to go to Megan Perrasmith. The documents containing the information regarding my service records under my employment to LMQ Security and the Canadian Border Security Agency are to be destroyed. The destroying of these documents will be the responsibility of my successor, in the hopes that they destroy said documents in an interesting fashion. In the event of my passing, I ask for my family to seek professional help, should they desire it. If my family cannot afford the assistance, I ask that any and all expenses be paid for by the use of my financial estate."

The judge poured out the envelope. A pair of keys and the gold ring dropped out.

"To Megan Perrasmith." Joseph said, as he passed the ring to Megan.

"And the keys to the firearms collection." He said again, as he passed the keys to Jules.

Jules grabbed the keys tightly, like she never wanted to let them go.

Megan took the ring, and examined it. On the inside of the ring, it was engraved, 'Megan- I always loved you.'


	39. Desperation

"Bravo, what's your 20?" Ed asked over the radio.

"West parking lot secure, coming to you." Megan replied.

"Copy that." Came Ed's reply.

"Let's be safe, ok?" Greg pleaded, "He's already shot two people today, and we're cornering him."

* * *

><p>As Megan woke up, she rubbed her eyes, removing the particles of matter.<p>

_Another good night's sleep, _she thought, _the medication is working._

Thinking about her medication, she immediately grabbed for her bottle of anti-depressants and swallowed one pill whole, without water. The directions on the label were to take them before and after sleep and once during the day with a meal.

She got out of bed and started stretching right away. She did this everyday regardless if she had to work or not.

After some basic stretches, she changed into her workout clothes and did twenty minutes on the static bicycle in her room. After working up a sweat, she went downstairs and grabbed her house keys.

At the front door, she unlocked the deadbolt. Once outside, she relocked it, and started her daily run.

Halfway through the run, her phone vibrated, so she stopped to answer it.

"Hello?" she asked between breaths.

"Megan- are you gone out for your run?"

"Yeah, mom." Megan replied to Jules, "Sorry, I forgot to leave a note."

"It's ok. You want anything for breakfast?"

"No- I'll make my own."

After the conversation, the phone went back into her pocket, as she finished her run.

Once back at home, she immediately went into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water and a banana. Taking in huge gasps of breath, she took a seat at the couch in the living room, where Jules was watching Top Shot.

"Oh come on," Megan said, swallowing some banana, "How could he miss that? He's twenty feet away!"

"How was your run?" Jules asked.

"It was good."

"Did you sleep well?"

Megan looked over to her step-mom, "Did you?"

"I asked first." Jules said.

"I did." Megan said, "You?"

Jules didn't reply.

"I don't get it mom- you say you want to get over things. So you sue Greg and Ed, and you got more money than I will make in the next 10 years. Then you tell me that you're over it, that you're fine. You're not fine mom- you're still having sleepless nights, and when you do manage to sleep, you have dreams of dad."

"How do you know that?" Jules asked- who wanted to keep that last point a secret.

"I hear your talking in your sleep. To dad- talking about your day; talking about different things."

"Does it scare you?" Jules asked.

"At first it did, but now- not anymore."

Then the phone rang. Megan answered it, "Hello?"

"Megan- we need you to come in ASAP- shooting at Scarborough Town Centre." Greg said.

"I'll get changed- be there in ten." Megan said, as she hung up the phone and ran up the stairs to get changed.

Once she came back down the stairs, in full uniform, she started to put on her boots, and tie them.

"What do you feel?" Jules asked.

"I feel fine. There's times where I think I'm not, but I'm getting through it."

"No- about me?" Jules asked.

"I pity you, mom," Megan said, as she picked up the truck keys, as she had 'inherited' her father's truck, "I pity you because I know you need help, but you just won't take it when it's offered."

* * *

><p>Megan reported to the SRU station, and immediately got into an SUV with Spike. Once on scene, she followed him into the command truck.<p>

Spike sat down, and immediately started working on getting CCTV and building plans.

Ed entered, followed by Greg.

"CCTV?" Ed asked.

"Spike's getting it." Megan said, "I was just talking to the first responder, and he said that building security has locked down all exits. I contacted dispatch on the way, and they're dispatching more uniforms to secure the perimeter."

"Good job Meg." Ed said, "We need SRU containment- let's secure all exterior parking lots, and work inwards. Spike, call the TTC Police and Team Seven to secure the bus station."

"Copy that." Spike said, as he looked back over his shoulder, "Building plans coming up. Nice ring Megan- where'd you get it?"

Megan brought up her left hand, as her right fingers covered the thin banded gold ring on her middle finger.

"It was my mom's; she had it when she was a kid." Megan lied, not wanting to reveal the truth behind the ring that she inherited from her father's estate.

"Let's stay focused." Ed said, "Me and Megan will secure all the parking lots."

"Copy that." Greg said, "We got a person who was shot in the abdomen waiting at the east exit. I'll cover the EMTs for a safe extraction."

Megan and Ed left the command truck and immediately started securing the south parking lot.

Once at the furthest point, Ed turned off his radio, and reached over and turned off Megan's radio.

"Why'd you do that?" Megan asked, as she motioned to turn it back on.

"Don't." Ed said, "What I have to say, and your reaction to it, should be off record."

Megan didn't want anything to do with Ed, and continued back to the command truck. "I don't care what you have to say Ed. I'm starting to get through things, ok?"

Ed grabbed her arm and spun her around. "Let go of me." Megan said, "Let go of me Ed, or I'll sue you."

Ed let go of her. "I just wanted to tell you that Sam turned himself in and pleaded guilty to the charges."

"And no one told me?" Megan asked, angrily as they started to make their way back, "Does everyone think that I'm some sort of emotional time bomb, waiting to explode?"

"No one thinks that, Megan." Ed said.

"Just let me do my job Ed." Megan said, as she turned on her radio.

"I'm taking fire!" Greg yelled into the radio, "We got an EMT down!"

"Greg- where are you?" Ed asked over the radio.

"East entrance."

"I'm on my way boss," Ed said over the radio, "Spike, meet up with Megan, and secure the north and west parking lots."

"Copy that."

Megan returned to the command truck, where Spike waited, weapons ready.

Together, they carefully cleared the north parking lot, and continued working into the west lot.

"Bravo, what's your 20?" Ed asked over the radio.

"West parking lot secure, coming to you." Megan replied.

"Copy that." Came Ed's reply.

"Let's be safe, ok?" Greg pleaded, "He's already shot two people today, and we're cornering him."

Together, Spike and Megan converged with Greg and Ed at the east entrance.

"Spike- is the bus station secure?" Ed asked.

"Copy that- TTC and Team Seven are there."

"Extra uniforms on the entrances?" Ed asked Megan.

"Covered." Megan answered, "Shooter's probably inside right? Where did the muzzle flash come from?"

"Second floor." Greg answered, as an ambulance showed up, as the EMTs got out, and attended to the woman on the stretcher and the EMT who was shot in the arm.

"What are we looking at?" Spike asked, "Random shooting spree?"

"I don't think so." Greg said, "First victim was conscious, so I talked to her. Her name is Leslie Bowley. She recognized the shooter as Stephan Dion. She said that all the kids at school just call him 'Geeky'."

"Bullying retaliation?" Megan asked.

"Could be Megan, could be." Greg replied, "That or something else. I'm going to go back to the truck, see if I can learn anything more about Stephan, and why he may have shot Leslie and the EMT that was attending to her. If we approach him, we'll need a negotiator- Megan I want you to cover that."

"But I haven't done my Negotiating Examination." Megan reasoned.

"You'll be fine." Greg assured her, "I just want him to be able to connect to someone, and something makes me think he'll connect better to someone closer to his own age."

"Ok," Ed said, as Greg went back to the truck, "Fast is good, good is fast, and fast is slow."

"What?" Megan asked, as she walked behind Ed, in line with Spike, as they entered the mall.

"Don't try to figure it out." Spike commented, "It'll just make your brain hurt."

* * *

><p>Slowly, Ed, Spike and Megan made their way to the second level, where sure enough they found a teenaged boy with a handgun.<p>

"Why does it seem so empty?" Megan asked quietly.

"Security protocol," Ed explained, "They clear the area of the incident and contain."

Once they were about 30 feet away from Stephan, Spike and Ed formed up, and created a protective wall in front of Megan.

"Stephan," Megan yelled out, "My name is Megan, and I'm here to help you."

"Go away." He replied.

"We can't do that Stephan." Megan explained to him, "These guys, they're Ed and Spike. They do what I tell them to do, but let's pretend they're not here, ok?"

"Good thinking Megan." Greg commented over the radio.

"Ok." Stephan said.

"Stephan- can I ask you a question?" Megan asked. When he didn't reply, she just continued, "What's all this about? Is this about school?"

"You were right Megan," Greg said from the truck, "He's being bullied."

"Is this about the people who call you names at school?" Megan asked.

" 'Geeky', 'Turd' – that's what they call me."

"That hurts, right, Stephan, being called those names? If only they knew the real you, right?"

"She wouldn't say it…" Stephan mumbled.

"Leslie wouldn't apologize for calling you names?"

"She's not the one who calls me names. It's the jocks, the blockheads, the idiots."

"See what you're doing there Stephan?" Megan pointed out, "You're calling them names, when you don't want them to be calling you names. Don't you see a double standard there?"

"You don't get it!" Stephan yelled, as he pointed the gun, "She didn't either. She thought it was a joke."

"Boss- what's he talking about?" Megan asked over the radio.

"Mrs. Bowley did mention that he seemed desperate. I'll press for details." Greg said.

"What did you want from Leslie today?" Megan asked.

"She's in all of my classes. Biology, English- all of them. And every day since the beginning of school, she's been telling everyone that her boyfriend dumped her and she's looking for a date to prom."

"Are you that desperate Stephan, that you thought you'd use a gun to ask her out?" Megan asked.

"It was only a last resort!"

"If it was a last resort, then why did you shoot the paramedic?"

"If I can't have her," Stephan said, as he turned the gun onto himself, "No one will."

"Suicidal teenager!" Spike muttered into the radio for Greg's information.

"Stephan, put the gun down!" Ed ordered, "Put it down. No one should die today."

"She should die," Stephan commented, "Because if she doesn't, just another idiot will be her boyfriend and another idiot is going to break her heart."

"And you know what's going to break her heart even more?" Ed asked, "When she finds out it was because of her that her classmate killed himself- so why don't you put the gun down?"

Ed approached, as Stephan handed him the gun and Spike put on a pair of cuffs.

* * *

><p>Back at the station, Team One was debriefing.<p>

"1057am," Megan yelled, "Ed-'Stephan, put the gun down'- why did you interrupt my negotiation Ed? Eh? Why?"

"You lost control of the situation." Ed calmly responded.

"Just like when you lost control and my dad died!" Megan yelled, and left the room.

She immediately went for the locker room, and to her locker. She didn't open it, but instead, just sat in front of her locker, frustrated, that her father wasn't there to help her understand, and angry at Ed for taking over her first negotiation.

Then there was a knock.

"Decent." Megan said.

Spike entered.

"Hey," he said, as he sat down beside her, and wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders, "How you been?"

"I'm fine Spike." She replied.

"Are you mad at Ed?"

She looked up to Spike, "Do you think I lost control?"

"No, I just think you don't know everything yet, Textbook."

Megan laughed at the nickname Spike had penned for her.

"Look Megan, being mad at Ed, or anyone else won't bring your dad back. When Lewis died, I was mad at the world- mad at Wordy, Ed, Sam- everybody, but that anger, all it does is make you resent yourself for being alive when someone else is dead."

"Thanks Spike."

"Still mad at Ed?"

Megan smiled weakly, "No."

"Let's go sign the seal and go home."

* * *

><p>Once Megan got home, she crashed onto the couch, with her facing the archway that leads into the kitchen.<p>

Jules came in, with two bowls of soup.

"I'm sorry if I…" Megan started, as she sat up and accepted the bowl of hot soup.

"No, it's ok." Jules said, "I made an appointment with Laura. I'm going to need you a lot Megan, especially when the baby comes."

"I don't know anything about babies." Megan admitted, as she blew on a spoonful of soup.

"Neither do I, but I do know that you're going to be a hell of a good sister to live with."

"I was actually thinking of maybe getting my own place once I make Officer." Megan said.

"Well, you could live here for as long as you want." Jules said, "I got used to living with my family."

"We don't really have the space…" Megan thought, thinking about the two bedrooms.

"Well- the lawyers and administration took a half million, I donated a quarter million to the Fallen Officer Fund, and so I could use the rest of it to build an addition."

Megan gave her mom a look, "And by 'I', you mean 'we', and by 'we' you mean we don't hire a contractor, and do it all ourselves."

Jules smiled, "Yup."


	40. Whatever Makes You Happy

"Put the gun down! Put it down now!" Spike yelled, as the man put the gun down on the ground, "Show me your hands!"

"Spike…" Ed said, as he put the cuffs on him.

"What'd you do with her?" Spike continued yelling, "Where is she?"

* * *

><p>"Hey Mrs. Perrasmith." The doctor said to Jules as she entered the room, "Let's check up on that baby of yours."<p>

Jules rolled up her shirt as the doctor put on and spread out some of the ultrasound gel.

"So, is your husband at work?" the doctor asked, "The two of you are police officers, right?"

Jules looked away.

"I'm sorry, is something wrong Mrs. Perrasmith?" the doctor asked.

"My husband died over a month ago."

"I'm sorry for your loss." The doctor said, as she started the ultrasound.

* * *

><p>"I'm gonna do it, I'll pop him, and you can't do nothin' about it." Ed said, in a fake slanged up jargon.<p>

Ed had his arm wrapped around Spike's neck, loose enough so it wouldn't hurt him, but just enough to make it seem real.

"You said your name is Neil, right?" Megan asked, as she was in the middle of testing her negotiating skills, "Neil- what you want, I can work with that. Why don't you lower that gun a bit- so your hostage doesn't struggle so much, you know?"

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."

The gun came down a few inches.

"Neil, I'm going to thank you for lowering that gun, ok? You wanted some drugs right?"

"Yeah- 4 pills of oxy, right now!"

"Ok, Neil, the problem with that, is that I don't carry those drugs around on me, ok?"

"I need them now!"

"Ok, ok- are you addicted to these pills Neil, because if you are, that's fine- but I want to help you. Now I'm just going to make a call ok, I'm going to call my friend, see if he can bring some, ok?"

"And scene." Greg said from behind Megan, "Good job Megan."

"Was there an ultimate solution?" she asked.

"Do you think there was?" Ed asked, as he holstered the fake firearm.

"Well, by me referring to a 'friend', in theory I'm referring to a higher authority. By breaking him down like that, I'm therefore breaking down his emotional resistance, so when or if a tactical plan is put into motion, the team has a lesser chance of the suspect resisting."

"Very smart," Greg said, as they walked into the debriefing room, and sat down, "But if the person has a decreased emotional resistance?"

"The person is then more likely to turn the gun or weapon on themselves."

"Said the textbook." Spike laughed, "Seriously, everything you say sounds like it's in some thick, ridiculous police manual."

"Spike, it's those police manuals that give you a job." Ed pointed out.

"Touché, Mr. Lane." Megan said with a smile.

"Alright, it's Friday, everyone knows what that means…" Greg stated.

"Pizza from Cornellos?" Spike asked, as his eyes widened.

"Mr. Scarlatti hits it on the head," Greg said, as he accepted a high five from Spike, "Winnie!"

"Ordering one extra-large Cornello's Friday Special." Winnie replied.

* * *

><p>Jules noted that the doctor was having difficulty finding the baby.<p>

"Is everything ok?" Jules asked.

"Your baby is just moving around a lot."

"I don't feel anything."

"You won't feel any kicks or anything for a few more months." The doctor explained to her, as she pressed some buttons on the screen, "Zooming out, see if I can find the rascal."

The doctor leaned in to look at the monitor and after looking things over for a few seconds, leaned back, and removed the ultrasound wand from Jules' stomach.

"Mrs. Perrasmith, are you stressed, either right now, or at any time since the last time I saw you?"

"Well, my husband died since then, so I'd say a little stressed. More depressed than stressed though."

"Are you taking any sort of medications?"

"I'm seeing a therapist to help me cope- it's the same one my daughter's been going to for the same reasons. She doesn't want to prescribe anything in case it has any sort of reaction to the baby."

"Ok- I'm going to admit you to the hospital for the next few hours. They're going to start you on a magnesium drip for the baby, and I'm going to order a psychological evaluation."

"Why, what's wrong?" Jules asked.

"Mrs. Perrasmith, your baby is in distress. It could be that you are stressed or depressed, but we need to make sure. The magnesium is for the baby- it'll calm it down, and prevent any negative reactions to any further medication that we may have to give you."

* * *

><p>The team ate in the debriefing room.<p>

Ed was telling the team a little story.

"So, you know, I told him that he could borrow the car. He comes back, I'm in the garage, working on the Chevelle-"

"You still working on that thing Eddie?" Greg asked, "You got it running yet?"

"Not yet boss. Clark comes back from his drive, and there's a dent in the passenger's side door."

"Sure it wasn't there to begin with, Ed?" Megan asked.

"Yeah, I know Perrasmith, because I would've noticed a dent the size of your head in my car. So I asked him about- doesn't want to talk about it."

"I'm surprised you didn't pull up the GPS." Spike replied.

"Seriously, Spike?" Megan asked, "Why would you even suggest that?"

"That's a good idea Spike- can you help me with that?" Ed asked.

Then Megan remembered about her anti-depressants. She'd have to take one now.

She quickly popped out the canister, popped the top, and poured one pill out and downed it with a gulp of Pepsi.

"What you got there?" Ed asked, as she sneaked the medication bottle back into her pocket.

"It's nothing Eddie." She said, as she took a bite of pizza.

"Nothing, eh? It wouldn't be some sort of medication, would it?"

"Yeah, it's some meds that have been prescribed to me, ok?"

"Eddie, leave her alone." Greg said who knew that Megan was getting therapy and was prescribed anti-depressants.

"What is it?" Ed asked her again.

Then Megan's phone rang, which was on the table.

"Hello?" she answered, silently thankful for the phone call, "Yeah- mom, really? Ok, yeah, ok- thanks for letting me know. You going to be ok? Yeah, we're just having some lunch. Ok- I'll tell them."

"Jules?" Spike asked, "What's up?"

_Mom's being admitted to the hospital because the fetus is in distress. She should be ok though. Do I tell them? She didn't tell me not to, and she asked me if I was with the team…_

"Yeah, she's at the doctor's office, just wanted to keep me updated."

_Yeah, there we go. I didn't lie, but at the same time, I didn't pass on too much information._

"You sure?" Greg asked, "Is she ok?"

"Yeah, she's fine. She says 'hi'. "

"Team One, hot call!"

"Aww, man," Spike said, as he got up, "The pizza's going to get cold."

* * *

><p>"St. Patrick's." Megan said, as the Team rolled up in the SUV, "I was hoping I'd never have to come back here."<p>

"Never say never." Greg commented, as they got out of the vehicle, "Ok team, here's what I got- a man comes in needing a scheduled iron infusion. When he was told that he'd have to wait a few hours, he flipped out and locked himself into a janitor's closet."

"Really?" Megan asked, as she squinted from the autumn sun, "Because that's the first place I'd go when I'm mad."

"When you're mad, you just go to a locker room." Ed quibbled.

Megan just gave him a sideways glance.

"Tactical options?" Greg asked, "Spike we got a place to setup a command post yet?"

"Best place is going to be the security post, which is just inside the ER doors."

"Let's go then." Ed suggested, as he lead the team to the security post.

Ed opened the doors to the security room, "Police, strategic response unit- we need access for a command post."

"You got it." A security guard agreed, as he got up off his chair, and offered it to Spike, who starting bringing up different screens on the computer.

"What are we looking to do?" Spike asked, "We going to talk him out?"

"Let's try that, but we need a tactical option, in case this goes sideways." Greg thought out loud, "Eddie?"

"How do you feel about going into some ducts?" Ed asked Megan.

"There is two air ducts into that closet-" Spike said, "One intake, and one outtake."

"Best if we use the outtake," Megan suggested, "That way if we make any noise, it doesn't travel into the closet."

"Good thinking." Ed replied, "What's our entry location?"

"Second floor mechanical room- you'll need climbing gear, because the closet is on 4th floor."

"And I'll approach from the east flank of the closet," Greg said, "Through day surgery- that'll get me as close as possible. Spike- stay on standby in case I need you."

"Copy that."

* * *

><p>"Ok, Mrs. Perrasmith, we're getting you a non-emergency ambulance to come pick you up and take you to the Civic Hospital." The doctor told Jules.<p>

"Why the Civic?" Jules asked, as she finished wiping off the gel, "St. Patrick's is closer."

"There appears to be some sort of security incident at St. Pat's." the doctor explained, "All ambulances and patients are being redirected to Civic."

"Is everything ok?"

"How do you mean?"

"At St. Pat's." Jules explained further.

"Oh, I'm sure everything is fine. My receptionist told me that the on-site security contacted the police." The doctor said, as she handed Jules a clipboard with some blank forms on it, "While you wait, I'll have you fill out some information."

_Name- Julianna Perrasmith. Gender- Female, duh. Next of Kin- Megan Perrasmith. Contact phone number…oh what's Megan's cell number again? How come I can never remember it?_

Jules got out her cellphone and copied down the information.

_There, I think that's everything._

Then two EMTs came in the room with a stretcher, "Non-emerg wagon for a Julianna Perrasmith?"

"I can walk." Jules said, as the one EMT helped her up.

* * *

><p>Once in the mechanical room, Ed helped Megan setup a harness and the climbing gear.<p>

"Ok, once you're in position," Ed explained, "Radio it in, and get a strobe and CS gas ready."

"Ed," Spike radioed in, "No gas- that closet is so small it could be lethal. That, and the chemicals in there could have a nasty reaction with the gas."

"Copy that Spike." Ed confirmed, "No gas then, just a strobe. If you get the signal, drop it in, drop in after it, contain and cuff. Got it?"

"Got it." Megan said, as she readied herself to start the climb in the air ducts to the 4th floor.

Then her cellphone rang.

"Cellphones are supposed to be off, or on vibrate." Ed scolded Megan.

"Hello?" Megan whispered, "Mom- what do you want?"

"Did you hear that there's a- no! I don't want an oxygen mask!"

"Mom- you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I heard there's a security issue at St. Patricks. What team was dispatched?"

"We were." Megan answered, as she looked up to Ed, who was waiting for her to be finished, "I gotta go."

As Megan hung up the phone and put it on vibrate Ed asked, "Everything ok?"

"Radios?" Megan asked, as she removed her headset.

"What's up?" Ed asked, as he removed his.

"The fetus is in distress. Mom's being admitted into the hospital for further examination."

"Are you going to be ok?" Ed asked.  
>"Yeah." Megan asked, "I'm made of tough stuff, you know."<p>

"Alright," Ed said, as he helped Megan into the open air duct, "I'll be here the whole time as your reverse anchor. If you need anything, you either radio it, or if you can't for whatever reason, just release the tension on the third rope, which is this one, which will let me know that you need to be recovered, ok?"

"How do I release the tension?" Megan asked, "If I need to."

"The popular choice is a knife." Ed suggested, "Here."

Ed handed his duty knife to Megan. She put in the knife in her back pocket of her pants, hoping that she wouldn't have to use it.

"Thanks."

* * *

><p>"Alpha unit, mark two- what's your location?" Spike asked over the radio.<p>

Megan knew that Spike was asking for her location.

"As it was five minutes ago Spike- in an air vent."

"10-4 mark two."

"I'm in position Eddie," Greg radioed in, "Sargent Greg Parker beginning negotiations."

Neither Ed or Megan could hear Greg's conversation with the man, as Greg had turned his radio into ambient mode, which would pick up what the suspect was saying. The downside to ambient mode was that only the auto-transcriptor at command post would hear his conversation.

"In position." Megan said, as she finally got to the custodial closet. "Man appears to be approximately 40 to 50 years of age. His current location is in the corner of black wall W8 and white wall W9."

"Copy that." Ed confirmed with her, "You have your strobe ready?"

"Ed- I think I can drop in and apprehend without using a strobe." Megan suggested.

"Spike- we got an identity yet?" Greg asked.

"Not yet, I have to go through medical records, a lot of it has restricted access. I have a nurse here giving me a hand."

"Sir- do you mind telling me your name?" Greg yelled out.

No reply.

"Sir- are you ok in there?" Greg asked.

"Boss- what's going on?" Ed asked.

"I was just talking to him, and now it's nothing. Like he's not in there."

"Megan- you have eyes- what do you see?" Ed radioed to Megan.

"Megan?" Greg radioed when she didn't reply to Ed, "Eddie, her position been compromised?"

"I don't have the recovery rope signal, so I don't think so." Ed replied.

"Spike, I need to get in there," Greg said, "I need you up here."

"Copy that." Spike said, as he closed the laptop he was working on and left the command post, "Be there in five!"

"No- I need you now!"

* * *

><p>Once Spike finally got to Greg, he had a few choice words for Spike, as Spike quickly picked the lock on the closet. Once Spike knew it was unlocked, he didn't open it right away, but instead gave Greg a quiet signal to form up.<p>

Using his fingers, Spike counted down. _One, two, three…_

Then he swung the door opened, and unholstered his handgun. Him and Greg immediately turned on their weapon lights and entered the small closet.

"And?" Ed asked with anticipation.

"She's not here." Spike said, as he looked up, and saw that the ceiling vent cover was removed on both the intake and the outtake.

"How is that possible?" Ed asked, "I never lost tension."

"Ed- he tied the harness off to a supply rack." Spike said as he continued looking around.

"New deal Team One," Greg said, as he absorbed all the facts, "Emotionally unstable man has now taken a hostage. I repeat, Officer in Training Megan Perrasmith has been taken hostage."

* * *

><p>Megan woke up. All she remembered was the man looking up and removing the ceiling vent cover. She had tried to backtrack into cover, but it was futile, as he quickly had placed a rag doused with chemical over her mouth and nose.<p>

She looked around. She appeared to be in another part of the hospital- a part that hadn't been used in a long time.

It looked like a multiple bed patient room, but the stretchers had a thick layer of dust on them. The window had a thick covering over it, limiting the amount of light that was allowed in by the sun.

She looked across from herself, and saw that most of her equipment had been removed, including her radio, headset, rifle, handgun, taser and cuffs.

"I like puzzles." Came a deep male voice, "Do you like puzzles?"

"Depends." Megan replied, as she immediately turned her mind into negotiator mode.

_He must've found something else in here, because he tied my hands and feet together with something other than cuffs._

The man walked towards her, although she couldn't really make him out; except that now he seemed to be wearing nurses' scrubs.

He bent down, and with a bit of difficulty, he removed the handgun from its holster in the pile of Megan's equipment.

"SERPA." He said, "Didn't have those."

"You were a cop?" Megan asked.

"Maybe I was. Doesn't matter now- all that matters, is that I get what I came here for."

He left Megan's field of view, and Megan could tell that he had opened a door.

"I'll be back for you."

* * *

><p>Once he left, Megan immediately tried to work the knife out of her back pocket. It was a lot easier said than done, even with her hands tied behind her back. She managed to use her fingers to push the knife out of the pocket, but it fell out and onto the cement floor.<p>

* * *

><p>"Spike- can you track her with the GPS?"<p>

"I could, but I can't." Spike replied to Ed, as the trio of them returned to the security post, "It's like her signal disappeared."

"Is it disabled or turned off?" Greg asked.

"No, I can access the device status report and it says that it's on and enabled. I don't get it."

"Is there anyway of that she could be in a dead zone, where the signal can't return to?" Ed suggested.

"Could be, but those units are the best of the best, you'd have to be a mile underground and surrounded by concrete for a failed return signal."

The door to the security post opened. It was a security guard. "Hey, there's a report of a guy matching the description up on fourth floor."

"Copy that." Ed said, "Hard, fast tactical, let's go Spike."

Together, Spike and Ed bounded up the steps to the fourth floor.

"I'll cover day surgery to admitting," Ed yelled, "Spike- you got administration?"

"Copy that." Spike yelled back, as he pushed his legs hard to cover more ground.

"Spike, you got joy?" Ed radioed in.

"Negative." Spike responded, as he turned a corner, "Actually, now I do."

* * *

><p>"Put the gun down- put it down now!" Spike yelled at him, "Put it down!"<p>

"I just want my iron, son- won't you let a sick, dying man take his iron infusion?"

"Sir- you have a weapon, I have to consider that a threat." Spike explained, "Keep it aimed down, and we can talk about things ok?"

"No." he said, as he inched it up higher, "I'm just looking for the prick who denied a dying man his medication."

"Put the gun down!" Spike yelled, "Sir- you were not denied the medication, you were told that you would have to wait!"

Spike could hear Ed coming up from behind him.

"Put the gun down now!" Ed demanded, "Put the gun down!"

"Put the gun down! Put it down now!" Spike yelled, as the man put the gun down on the ground giving up, since both Ed and Spike had their guns trained on him, "Show me your hands!"

"Spike…" Ed said, as he cuffed the man, concerned with the location of Megan.

"What'd you do with her?" Spike continued yelling, "Where is she?"

Ed had the cuffs on the man, but Spike grabbed him by his neck and slammed him up against the wall, denting the drywall, "Where is she?"

"Officer Scarlatti." Came a voice over the radio.

Spike heard the voice, and he let off his grip of the man, "Megan- where are you?"

"I don't know." She replied, "In an old part of the hospital. He left me here, and he disabled the lock- I can't get out. He's probably ex-police or military, so be careful."

"We have him in custody, don't worry Meg," Spike said, as he pulled out his PDA, and pulled up the building schematics, "There is no older part of the building Megan. Look around, do you see anything distinctive?"

"No, it's an old patient room. Looks like it hasn't been used in years, and there's a window that's facing out, I'd guess maybe north."

"You ok, Officer in Training?" Ed asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine Ed. A little dizzy, that's all; I think he used some sort of chemical to knock me out."

Spike looked around, and found a maintenance worker nearby, "Sir- do you know of any patient rooms that haven't been used in some time?"

"The only ones I can think of are the ones that were condemned."

"Why were they condemned?" Spike asked.

"Because their walls were load bearing. They're behind the new morgue, and there's a small access hallway."

"That's great, can you show me where they are on the schematics?"

"They're not on any schematics- they weren't included on the re-design. I'll show you."

* * *

><p>The maintenance technician showed Spike the access hallway.<p>

Spike continued down the hallway, and knocked on a bunch of doors.

"Hello?" came a voice after knocking on one door.

"Megan- its Spike."

Spike then looked at the door frame.

"Oh good lord."

"What do you see Spike?" Greg asked.

"Booby traps. He did not want Megan leaving or being found."

"What exactly?"

"Motion sensors, and it looks like they go into a signal chaser."

"What's that?"

"It sends a wireless signal to a remote device- could be a cellphone, pager, garage door opener…"

"Or a bomb." Greg finished.

"Yeah." Spike said, as he prepared himself to defuse the devices, "I should be able to defuse the devices, though, I'd consider evacuating."

"It's been underway since you said 'booby traps'." Ed said, "Anything else?"

"I'd prefer not to touch any of it, since I don't have schematics of the wiring of the devices. This is above me."

"He's probably military then." Megan suggested.

"That window you mentioned," Spike asked her, through the door, "Think you can climb out?"

"I'd have to break it."

"That's fine- collateral. We just want you safe." Spike replied, "Think you can do it?"

"It's high up, I can climb out, but I'll have to either shoot out the window, or throw something at it."

"Don't shoot." Spike said, "If there's a bomb nearby, it could trigger it."

"10-4 Spike. Ed- you mind if I throw your knife?"

"Go for it," Ed said, "How's your knife throwing skills?"

"We'll find out in about three seconds."

Sure enough, from the other side of the door, Spike heard the crash of the window shattering.

_Ahh, Textbook._

* * *

><p>Ed and Spike were able to find Megan once she was outside.<p>

On the way back to the SRU station, she rode with Ed.

"Uh, Ed, you missed a turn." Megan pointed out, as Ed didn't follow Greg and Spike in the other SUV.

"I'm taking you to Civic."

"Ed…."

"Your mom is there getting her treatment, and you need to get checked out."

"We were just at a hospital." Megan pointed out.

"Yes, and St. Pat's is going to be closed until the Department of National Defense can come in and remove the devices from that door, so you need to go to Civic. That, and you should be with your mom."

Megan looked over to Ed.

"Thanks."

* * *

><p>Once at the hospital, a nurse put Megan in a stretcher, and carted her up to the day surgery floor, where Jules was sitting in a comfortable chair, with the magnesium drip hanging from an IV machine.<p>

"The doctor will be with you shortly." The nurse said to Megan.

Once the nurse left Jules asked, "How was your day?"

Megan laughed, "Oh, you know, the usual. Report for duty, go out to a call, get taken hostage, get saved by Ed and Spike."

Jules laughed too, remembering her previous experience, "Oh yeah, I remember those days."

Then a doctor came in and asked, "How are you doing Mrs. Perrasmith?"

"Good." Both Megan and Jules answered in unison.

Together, they laughed as well.

"Am I missing something?" he asked, as he used a device to look into Megan's eyes.

"My step-daughter." Jules explained.

"Oh, she'll fit right in then."

"What?" Jules asked.

"Your ultrasound images, I was just looking at them." The doctor explained, "There's evidence to suggest you're expecting a baby girl."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Shocker! Right? Or am I wrong? Either way- read and review my friends! Did you enjoy the **_**girth **_**of this chapter? I know I did- because it only took me 6 hours to write. (I take a LOT of breaks.)**


	41. Because I Care

"Abigail." Jules suggested.

"Sounds like an old person name."

"Mandy?"

"I knew a girl in high school named Mandy." Megan said, as she eyed up her work, "She was an idiot."

"Well, that's all the ones on my list. You got a list?" Jules asked, from where she sat on a chair on the concrete pad for the addition.

Jules was ordered to ensure that she rested for at least 8 hours a day, so she wasn't able to work on the addition to the house as much as she wanted to, so she was letting Megan do a lot of the work on her days off- with her supervision of course.

"Hey, I think you're a bit off there." Jules noted.

"No, it's straight," Megan replied, as she picked up a level from beside her and showed her mom that the stud that she had just screwed into place was straight, "See?"

"Whatever. Ideas?"

"I don't know." Megan thought, "I still don't understand how this addition is going to help."

"How many times do I have to tell you- on the 1st floor, it's going to be an area in which to relax and…"

"Exercise in?" Megan asked, as she descended the ladder.

"Sure, whatever." Jules replied, as she sipped on her smoothie, "And upstairs, it'll butt into the hallway, and it'll enter into another room, which will be your new room, and the baby's room will be your old room."

"Cassandra?" Megan suggested.

Jules made a disgusted face, "Eww, no."

Megan sat down in the lawn chair beside her mom.

"I don't think I'll need the sleeping pills tonight." She said, as she yawned.

"Heyo!" came a voice from around the section of the pad where an exterior wall wasn't put up yet.

Spike entered through the opening, sporting two large take out bags. He put the bags down on the concrete, as he opened up another lawn chair and pulled up to them.

"He brings food every time." Jules said to Megan, "You trying to fatten me up?"

"Looks like it's working there, mommy." Spike joked, as he got up and rubbed Jules' baby bump, "A mother has to eat."

"You don't think I am?"

"I mean real food." Spike said, as he removed some Italian sandwiches from the bags.

"Spike, I hate to rain on your parade," Megan started, "But there's other food in life that isn't Italian."

Rather than being offended, Spike laughed, which caused both Megan and Jules to follow suit.

* * *

><p>Megan yawned.<p>

"Megan, if you yawn again," Ed said, halfway through a yawn, "I'll run you through the shoot house."

"You know Ed, I think I deserve a little slack, don't you?" Megan replied, "It's my first night shift I've ever done."

"Don't blame us." Spike said, as he pedaled on a stationary bike, close to where Ed and Megan were sitting, "Blame Team Six- they wanted to switch shifts and the boss said yes."

"So, it's Team Six's fault?" Megan asked.

"What? No…" Spike started, "Just….whatever, ok?"

"That's what she said." Megan replied, which made Ed and Spike laugh. "I feel like I should be doing something."

"Who does that sound like?" Greg asked Ed, as he walked in, "Something to do- Ed versus Megan in a hand to hand match."

"Oh, I'd like to see that." Spike said, as he finished his cardio, and got off the bike, "Anybody taking bets?"

"I'll take that." Kiera said, as she strolled in.

"I thought you were on holidays?" Spike asked.

"That a yes or a no?" Kiera asked, as she looked over at saw Megan and Ed setting up for the hand to hand match, "Put your money where your mouth is Scarlatti."

"You're on!" Spike wagered, "$5 says Ed finishes it in less than five."

"And I'll go Megan in 3 minutes."

Greg put his watch into stopwatch mode and said "And go!"

Ed immediately lunged forward, but Megan easily side swiped the attack. Once Ed had his back to Megan, she threw herself down, grabbed and twisted Ed's legs as she fell onto the mat.

Ed fell back first onto the mat, but quickly composed himself into a side long roll, and used his forearms to stop Megan from grappling his chest. Once the blocked move was out of the way, he stood back up and started some basic punches, but all of them were either dodged or blocked by Megan's nimbleness.

After dodging one of Ed's punches, she darted to the left, and hooked her right foot onto Ed's foot, and knocked him, unknowingly to the ground. Before Ed could even register, Megan was ontop of him, faking a gun with her hands and fingers.

"Wow." Spike said, as he opened his wallet to pay up, "I don't know about you Ed, but you need to shape up, I'm losing money here!"

* * *

><p>After the workout, the team decided to relax in the debriefing room.<p>

Megan sat on the one end of the table, looking very bored, as she took in the engaging activities that her team-mates were doing.

Greg was finishing up some paperwork and Spike was showing Ed how to set up the radio system in the Chevelle that Ed was restoring.

"You know what, Eddie, why don't I just stop by sometime tomorrow and do it for you?" Spike said, giving up, as teaching Ed which wires to hook up to on a simulation on the computer was an obvious waste of time.

"Would ya, could ya, Officer Scarlatti?"

"Just make sure that there's something to drink afterwards." Spike said, as he looked down at Megan, "Wake up, Textbook! Why don't you teach us something?"

"I wasn't sleeping Spike." Megan said.

"Sure you weren't." he replied with a wink, "Teach me everything I don't know."

"I don't know Spike, that might take a while. Megan responded with a smile.

"Oh, yeah!" Ed exclaimed, "That's a burn on you!"

Both Megan and Spike looked over to Ed.

"Ed, if you don't know the terminology, just don't use it."

"Team One- hot call!"

"Finally- something to do!" Megan yelled out, as they got up to get ready for the call.

* * *

><p>Once on route, Kiera spoke to the team via the headset.<p>

"Crash scene at Parkwoods & Scenic. No one survived the crash. A paramedic apparently snapped and managed to grab a police officer's gun."

"Hostages?" Greg asked.

"The paramedic apparently used medical tape to bound and gag four other paramedics, including their supervisor, and two police officers. The officers that were going to respond have stayed back and are awaiting SRU orders."

"Tell them to keep their distance and only engage if directed by SRU only." Greg ordered, "And have this incident delisted from the dispatch incident list, I don't want any other police officers or paramedics dropping in unexpectedly."

"Copy that."

Once there, the Team got out.

"The paramedic in question is from truck number 55406, and his name is Scott Esdale." Spike informed, as he put away a tablet.

"Ok, Eddie," Greg said, "Single shield up, with Megan and start negotiations. I'm staying back here with Spike to filter any and all information."

"Who's the primary?" Ed asked.

"Megan."

"You sure?" Megan asked.

"Yeah, my spidey sense tells me you'll have this one. And I'll be in your ear the entire time if you need help. No interrupting, ok Eddie?"

"Copy that." Ed replied, as he grabbed a shield and covered himself and Megan as they approached the scene.

Once at the scene, they got the details. Two vehicles must've collided with each other right in the intersection.

"The first responder reported that neither of the drivers was responsive." Spike replayed through the radio, "When the paramedics showed up, they pronounced them dead on scene, and that's when Scott grabbed a gun and took his co-workers, supervisor and two police officers hostage."

"10-4, Spike. Thanks." Megan said, "Scott Esdale- I'm Megan Perrasmith, and I'm with the Police Strategic Response Unit. What happened here tonight?"

"More people died, that's what happened!" he yelled at Megan, "Death, death, death. That's all I see, and I can't do nothing to stop it, you know?"

"Yeah I…" Megan started

"No you don't, you've never seen death! Every day, I see at least two people die in my ambulance! It makes me sick, to see good people dying every day! It's not right!"

"I hear you." Megan replied, "I do. Can you tell me if everyone is safe over there?"

"Yeah, they're all fine!" he yelled, "They can't do anything about it! Do they even care? When Melissa here saw Joyce die in the ambulance yesterday, did she care? Did she?"

"Scott- people deal with feelings in different ways." Megan reasoned, "Just because someone doesn't talk about things, doesn't mean that they're without pain, without feeling."

"How would you know about death, or feelings? Eh? You're not even…"

"I'm going to stop you right there, Scott." Megan interrupted.

"Megan- you shouldn't have interrupted him." Greg commented through the radio.

"Scott- I know what it's like, ok? You have to believe me."

"Prove it! Tell me what I'm feeling!" Scott exclaimed.

"You're feeling betrayed, lost, and angry at the same time, and I can tell you, it's not good to keep those feelings to yourself. Do you have someone you can talk to about things Scott? A girlfriend, wife, or friend?"

"I have no one- no one understands!"

"I understand Scott." Megan said, "I understand what you're feeling because, even though I'm young, I've seen things that I wouldn't wish upon anyone else. I saw my biological parents get divorced, but it was for the better, because my dad- he met the woman of his dreams, and he married her. Then two months ago, I had to watch as my dad was put in the ground."

"I'm sorry…" Scott sympathized, "How?"

"He was shot. He was a great guy. The world needs more people like him. He didn't care if you didn't have two pennies to rub together, he'd help you if you asked for it. He was a loving husband, and a great father, and I miss him. I miss my father. It feels wrong that a great guy like my dad was just torn from this world, leaving behind his wife, and his daughter. I know what you're going through Scott, and I want to help you."

"Do you want some of the hostages?" Scott offered.

"Only if that's what you want, Scott."

"Good job Megan," Greg commended, "You connected with him, and you're trying to make the idea of giving us some of the hostages seem like his idea."

Scott bent down and removed the medical tape from the EMT supervisor and his co-workers.

"Alright, this way." Megan said, as she ushered them towards her, "Continue down here, and talk to my Sargent, and give him as much detail as you can."

"You saw that, right?" Scott said, "I gave them up."

"Yes you did Scott." Megan replied, "I want to thank you for that, I really do."

"Your dad…" Scott started.

"Yeah?" Megan asked.

"Did you get to say goodbye?"

"No, I didn't Scott. I never got to say goodbye to him, but you know what his last words to me were? 'Take care, and I love you'."

"Whenever people die on me, they thank me. It's like I'm killing them." Scott admitted.

"But you're not killing them Scott, you're helping them, right? That's why you're a paramedic, right, to help people?"

"Yeah- my dad was a paramedic too."

"That's great." Megan said, not really knowing what else to do.

"What did your dad do for a living Megan?" Scott asked.

"What I'm doing know, and what you do. Help people."

"We give, give, give, and give some more, and people still die." Scott muttered.

"Yeah, Scott, there's always going to be those people that we couldn't get to in time, or the ones we couldn't save. But we need to be strong, because tomorrow, or the next day, there's going to be more people who need our help."

"Who need help."

"That's right Scott," Megan responded, "And that's what those two police officers do too. They came to this crash to help. To see if anyone needed help. But you need to ask yourself Scott- do you need help? Because who's supposed to help us, right?"

"Yeah…"

"There's people out there to help us, to help us through the things we can't figure out, the things we can't wrap our minds around. If you put down the gun, I can make sure you get the help you need."

"Ok." He said, as he placed the gun on the ground, and put them on his head.

"Thank you Scott." Megan said, as Ed approached and cuffed him.

* * *

><p>Back at headquarters the team debriefed.<p>

"And the end of the incident- Mr. Scott Esdale surrendered his weapon peacefully and was detained by Officer Ed Lane." Greg read his final report.

Spike nodded, "Sounds good."

Greg nodded too, "That was a great job you did out there Megan. You connected, you respected,"

"And I protected." Megan finished, "Thanks boss."

Greg put all the documents in the envelope and passed it around for everyone to sign the official seal on the enclosed documents.

"We did a good job today Team." Greg commented.


	42. Rejection

**A/N: Like I've mentioned before, this fanfiction is rated T under guidelines. That being said, the following chapter contains a number of expletives. Again- just a warning.**

* * *

><p>"This is ridiculous! This is the treatment I get every time I fly into my own damn country- every time! And what? Now, you have guns pointed at my head- just remember this, coppers- I pay your wages! As a taxpayer, and I have the right to do whatever I want, whenever I want to do it!"<p>

Around the agitated man, Ed, Megan, Spike and Greg came closer, each of them with their weapons raised and on aim.

"Stand down!" he yelled.

* * *

><p>Together, Megan and Jules stood- shoulder to shoulder.<p>

Megan took a sideways glance. Maybe it was because of her continuing training as a SRU officer that she started expecting bad things to happen all around her. Or maybe it was because she was in a cemetery that she felt uneasy.

At the foot of the grave- where the grass had started to grow, Jules and Megan stood and silently prayed.

Megan chanced a look at Jules. She noticed a few tears coming down her cheek.

_Focus. _Megan thought to herself, _Here you are, at your father's grave, and all you can think of doing is to look around you like a paranoid idiot? I'm better than that._

She looked at the headstone, then at the new grass. The memories of Ed giving the eulogy at the church, and SRU Team One carrying the casket to its resting spot swept into her mind. She started to cry, like her mom.

Jules looked over to Megan, as she wiped her own tears from her cheek. "Let's go." Jules said, as she took Megan's hand and guided her back to the Jeep.

* * *

><p>"How did that feel Megan?" Laura asked her, as Megan laid down on the psychiatrist's couch, "To visit your father's grave?"<p>

"It was hard- it just reminded me that he'll never be there for me again. Or to know that he'll never see me succeed."

"I understand Megan," Laura explained, "But at the same time- did you feel anything else?"

"I felt like someone was watching me." Megan admitted.

Laura made a note in the file. "That's good Megan, anything else?"

* * *

><p>After her session with Laura, Megan made sure that no one saw her go back to the women's locker room. Once there, she changed into her uniform and made her way into the gym.<p>

"Why were you here so early Textbook?" Spike asked, "Ed and me arrived at the same time, and he was wondering why you were here so early."

"I had nothing else to do." Megan said, not wanting to tell Spike about the therapy.

Actually, the only person who knew- other than her mom, was Greg, because she was legally obliged to tell her boss that she was prescribed anti-depressants.

"You need to get a hobby." Spike suggested, "I hear quilting is fun."

Megan sat down beside him, "Right, because I'm the kind of girl who quilts."

"You don't have to quilt, you could knit, wash dishes, make sandwiches…"

"Spike, I'm not making you a sandwich."

"Dammit." Spike said jokingly, as Ed entered.

"Watch the language Scarlatti." Ed replied, "I hear enough of it as it is."

Both Megan and Spike gave Ed a confused look as Ed sat across from them.

"I, uh…"Ed started, "It's Clark. He's been going out and coming back late a lot, so I asked him about it last night, and he told me to go F myself."

"Strong words." Spike commented.

"Is it a big deal Ed?" Megan asked, "He's growing up and becoming more independent. Look at it this way- if he was doing something criminal, you'd know about it, right?"

"Yeah, and I doubt trouble is in his vocabulary." Spike replied, "Doesn't he play the violin?"

"I suppose- and it's a cello, Spike." Ed responded.

* * *

><p>Finally, after waiting for close to a half hour, Greg got there and got dressed.<p>

"Howdy." Greg said, as he entered.

"Howdy is for cowboys." Spike said, as he got up from laying down on the bench, "What's going on?"

"Well, Spike, since you asked, Team One has been selected for-"

"Team One- hot call!"

"I guess Team Two will be doing it." Greg said, as they ran to get ready, "Kiera, what do you got?"

"Code White- Aggravated Man at Lester B. Pearson Airport. He was pulled aside by Border Services, and when they proceeded to open his luggage, he started swearing and threatening the officers."

The entire team was in the SUVs, as they took off.

"Ok." Greg replied, as he processed the information, "Multiple officers already at the scene. How do we approach team?"

"I don't get it." Megan replied from the passenger's seat beside Greg, "The CBSA officers are officers of peace in their own right- why wouldn't they attempt to de-escalate the situation?"

"We'll find out when we get there." Ed replied, as they merged onto the highway, "Kiera- Team One is 8 minutes out."

"Copy that Team One, I'll alert airport security and the CBSA."

Once on scene, the entire team geared up with their firearms and gear. Once inside the airport, they managed to completely scare a woman who seemed lost into nearly having an accident in her pants.

"Right down here." A security guard told them, as he approached the team.

The security guard led the team down a long hallway that entered in a pair of glass doors. The doors were coated with an opaque white with the words 'CBSA Border Services Inspection Area' on them.

"Is the incident directly behind these doors?" Ed asked the security guard.  
>"Yes." The guard responded, as he had the key in the door lock, "Did you want the door opened?"<p>

"Is the man armed?" Greg asked.

"No- but he's threatened to beat up three of the six CBSA officers who are there."

"Anything else?" Megan asked, "Who else is in there?"

"Two security guards- we haven't been able to locate them on the CCTV, so we think that they are out of camera range observing the situation."

"Can you make radio contact with them?" Spike questioned.

"We tried, but they must've turned off their radios to prevent from being located by the individual."

"Ok," Greg said with a nod, "If you're able to re-establish contact with your men, tell them to stay concealed. What about the man in question- what frame of mind was he in?"

"I was the one who escorted the man with the CBSA officer to the inspection area. He was giving us lip the entire time telling us to find a real job, and to do something meaningful with our lives instead of ruining people's day."

"Anything else?"

"Yeah, he…"

"What?" Megan asked, as she asked the young security guard, "What did he say?"

"He called me a retard." The security guard said, "My brother- he needs special education classes. I took offense to it."

"Did you say anything to him?" Megan asked.

"No. I just took it and didn't give him anything to react to. There's a Code of Conduct too, you know."

"Alright." Greg said with a nod, "Ed, what does your bald head tell you?"

"It tells me to keep it shaved." Ed joked, "Ok, we go in tactical- all we have to do is shore up the defenses, and let the responding officers do their job. He's still considered to be on international ground, so we cannot arrest or detain, unless we are given direct, explicit order to do so by the CBSA. Are we clear?"

"10-4." Spike responded.

"Copy that." Megan replied.

"Let's go!"

* * *

><p>As if it was a well-rehearsed move, Team One quickly entered the inspection area as the security guard opened the door for them.<p>

Ed quickly became the point man, as the rest of the team assembled around him and slowly started to approach a yelling individual.

"Jesus Christ!" he yelled, "What the hell are they doing here? You guys so damn incompetent you had to call them? Eh?"

"Sir, let these officers complete the investigation of your belongings, and you can be on your way." Ed instructed.

"Put your goddamn weapons down- because I will not be intimidated by a bunch of military wannabes!"

"Is that what you think we are?" Ed responded, "Toronto Police Services- Strategic Response Unit. I'm Team Leader Ed Lane. Beside me are Sargent Greg Parker, Constable Scarlatti and OIT Perrasmith."

"Ohhh, because I'm supposed to be scared?" he lipped back at Ed, "Try doing something real-"

"Are you talking back to me?" Ed yelled, "Are you talking back?!"

"Don't yell at me!" he screamed back at Ed, "Because every time I come into my own country, I get searched like I'm a criminal!"

"You fly often?" Ed asked, "Because if you do, then you know that it is their job to protect the integrity of the Canadian…"

"I don't care, you pathetic idiot!"

"Border Services Officers-" Greg said, as he spoke to the CBSA officers, "Please continue the search of the luggage."

"No they won't!" he man yelled, as he ripped a hard suitcase out of the hands of an Border Services officer, "Hands off- retard!"

Ed and the team edged closer to the man, "What's your name?"

"Screw off!"

"What's your name?!" Ed yelled again.

"Yannick, you hoser!"

"Yannick- that Jewish?" Ed asked.

"It might be!"

"You don't know?"

"I don't care!"

"Put the suitcase down." Ed said, making sure his speech was clear, "Put it down."

"I don't need this shit!" Yannick yelled, "Tell me where in the law- where it says they have the right to unpack my shit!"

"That is their job, Yannick to ensure that there is nothing…"

"I didn't declare anything!"

"And they are ensuring that you aren't lying to them."

"That's what they tell me every time! Every goddamn time!"

"I don't know what else to tell you Yannick." Ed responded, "Other than to let them continue doing their job."

"Screw you- asshat!"

"Let them do their job!"

"This is ridiculous! This is the treatment I get every time I fly into my own damn country- every time! And what? Now, you have guns pointed at my head- just remember this, coppers- I pay your wages! As a taxpayer, and I have the right to do whatever I want, whenever I want to do it!"

Around him, Ed, Megan, Spike and Greg came closer, each of them with their weapons raised and on aim.

"Stand down!" Yannick yelled, "Stand the hell down, because I will not be arrested by a bunch of retards!"

Suddenly, from the door, the security guard who had led Team One to the inspection area burst in.

"Don't say that!" he yelled at Yannick, running towards him, "Take it back!"

Then the guard tackled Yannick to the ground.

"Stand down Team One, stand down." Ed said, "Spike, less lethal! Megan, on me with spray and batons, boss, stay back and lethal if we need it!"

"Copy that Eddie!" Greg said as Ed and Megan approached the scuffle between Yannick and the security guard.

As Megan and Eddie approached, they found that Yannick had managed to bite the guard on his hand, but that didn't stop the guard from continuing to wrestle with the man.

"Security- stand down!" Ed yelled, "Stand down!"

"Take it back!" the guard yelled at Yannick again, as he landed a square punch on Yannick's gut.

"Officers- permission to detain on your ground?" Ed asked the CBSA officers.

All the officers nodded, as they too now had their guns trained and aimed on the scuffle.

"Holster your weapons." Megan asked them, as she and Ed approached, "Stop now- or you will be sprayed!"

Ed repeated the same thing, but neither Yannick or the guard let up their fight of fists.

Ed kicked Yannick in the shin, knocking him to the ground, but Yannick had other plans, and attempted to grab the rifle hanging off of Ed's vest.

Ed backed away to prevent Yannick from grabbing the weapon. In the same movement, he grabbed the man's arm and released the pepper spray into Yannick's eyes.

"You goddamn f-" Yannick started, but couldn't continue as he was in too much pain, and started screaming in pain.

Meanwhile, Megan approached the guard, and pulled him away, by grabbing his arms, which were swung up in the air preparing to land a double fist punch on Yannick.

"In the event of an overwhelming situation, a guard is to give complete control to a superior guard or supervisor, or to the appropriate police or protection services." Megan whispered into his ear, as she quoted the company policy of the security company that employed the guard.

Within seconds, the guard gave up and allowed Megan to place a pair of cuffs on the guard.

"Security guard to the incident, in custody." Megan said to Greg, as he nodded.

"Yannick Berger, in custody." Ed said, as he removed the man's wallet to read his ID.

"Good job." Greg said, as both Ed and Megan handed over their detainees to the CBSA officers.

* * *

><p>"And after, Yannick Berger, along with the security guard who had intervened, Lee Carleton- was transferred into the custody of the Canadian Border Services Agency Officers McLean and Dibble." Greg summarized, as part of the debriefing, "Good job team one."<p>

Ed, Spike and Megan nodded, as they agreed and signed the paperwork.

"I've never seen anyone so mad before." Megan admitted, "Didn't think it was possible."

"You'll see things you never thought possible in this job, Megan." Ed said, "Now granted, it won't help."

"What do you mean?"

"Like I've always said- I can talk down career criminals, but I'm a loss for words when it comes to my wife and kids."


	43. The Other Side

"What's the call here Greg?" Ed asked.

"Boss?" Ed asked, "What's the call?"

"If we're going to make a move on Leroux, we need to do it know." Megan noted over the radio.

"Eagle two- have you been compromised?" Greg asked.

"Negative boss, eagle one has Adam secured. I can stealth behind Leroux and take him into custody."

"Can you do it silently- without weapons?" Greg asked.

"I don't know. Probably." Came Megan's answer.

"Eddie- you got Leroux?"

"Negative, no solution."

* * *

><p>Megan and Jules looked out into the backyard through the finished part of the new addition to the house.<p>

"Part one of three done." Megan said, as she started counting on her fingers, "Close to another 200 more studs, a thousand screws, and three more long nights of 'huh' only to realize I was looking at the wrong part of the schematics."

"I can help you with the last part." Jules commented, as she took a seat, "I think she's going to like it."

"Me? Or the baby?" Megan asked, as she helped her mom into the chair, and then sat beside her.

"Both." Jules said, as she looked over to Megan "Thank you."

"For what?" Megan said, as she picked up an old copy of Ontario Outdoors Magazine that they put on the coffee table in the new room.

"For helping me with this, the baby- everything."

"What else am I going to do?" Megan asked, as he turned the page quickly, choosing to not read on how to gut a deer, "Did dad ever go hunting?"

"He used to." Jules answered, "He used to hunt bears up north with his dad when he was younger."

"And when he was talking to my grand-dad." Megan added, "I don't remember him."

"Your dad pretty much stopped talking to him when he started living in Toronto."

"What's that beeping noise?" Jules asked, as she looked around.

Megan took a small device off of her belt.

"They gave you a pager?" Jules asked.

"We're on call this weekend." Megan answered as she got up, "I gotta go in. Hey mom-"

"Yeah?"

"Are you coming back to SRU?"

Jules thought about the question. Is she coming back?

"Well, the bereavement leave is over, but I'm on maternity leave now, so probably not anytime soon."

"Ok." Megan said, as she gave Jules an unexpected hug, "See you later."

* * *

><p>Megan entered SRU in full uniform and at a good, steady pace entered the debriefing room.<p>

"Sorry." Ed said, "How's the renovation going?"

"Good. Finished the first level, onto the 2nd floor." Megan answered, "What's the call?"

"From Guns & Gangs-" Greg said, "They have an inside guy- Adam Ceasor, working with the Paradio gang."

"The guys suspected with the weapons smuggling all over Ontario?" Spike asked, "The latest tie to them comes from a bunch of handguns and assault weapons that were found in the St. Lawrence River between Brockville & Cornwall."

"That'd be them." Ed said, "Now apparently, they weren't able to find anything out that they didn't already know with the inside guy. The problem being, is that Adam needs to be safely extracted without tipping off the gang."

"We got a cover story?" Megan asked.

"Guns and Gangs are working on it." Ed said, "The biggest problem, is that the rendezvous for the extraction is Hotel de Prada."

"Seriously?" Spike asked, "Is this even going to be possible?"

"What do you mean?" Megan asked.

"Hotel de Prada is suspected to be owned, operated and staffed by the DiCamilo gang." Ed explained, "The de Prada has also been a host of previous drug busts and raids, and the DiCamilo gang insider tells us that its rigged with highly secretive, password encrypted CCTV,"

"Easy peasy." Spike answered.

"Interior and exterior motion sensors," Ed continued.

"A bit harder, but crackable,"

"On-site armed security,"

"Nothing Textbook and Eddie can't handle." Spike commented.

"And FD Protection & Security, state of the art, high class security system alarms and encryption." Ed finished.

"Which is a problem," Spike said, "FD won't release a Police & Security system pack, which allows emergency access into their systems. That and they are known to be very secretive on adding different and new technologies into their systems for a higher price. The database I have on them is minimal at best- only basic emergency over-ride codes- nothing that a floor manager wouldn't have."

"What can we expect Spike?" Ed asked.

"Seeing as the hotel is DeCamilo, and they are probably going all out, and lining the pockets of FD with as much money possible we could be looking at motion sensitive pressure plates, infrared laser protection, eye and fingerprint access control, and even more stuff. The only way we're getting in there is if we're let in."

"So we'll have to do it that way." Greg said, "Megan, Spike, civilian suit up- you're going undercover."

"What's the plan?" Ed asked, as he brought up the blueprints of the hotel on the projector, "We only have plans for the top three floors, and the first floor."

"Plans for four floors in a ten floor building?" Spike asked out loud, "Six floors blind. Yeah, great idea, sending in undercover units in."

"No other option, Scarlatti." Greg said, "Megan and Spike will roll up in a Mercedes that Guns and Gangs will let us borrow. You will go in and book the honeymoon suite on the 7th floor- Guns and Gang's assures us that the room is already wired with cameras and bugs, so we're covered."

"If it isn't?" Ed asked, "I don't want to risk it. In ear monitors for both Spike and Megan."

"Ok, Ed." Greg said, "Once there, I'll call in the signal to G&G, and they'll act on a warrant for a house on Syne that they've been sitting on."

"This house belongs to?" Spike asked.

"A numbered company which has had frequent dealings with the Paradio's downtown coffee shop." Greg continued, "When the Paradio's in the hotel find out that their Syne location has been compromised, they'll start packing up and moving operations somewhere else. During that distraction is when Spike- who we'll name Eagle One will go up to the 10th floor penthouse and extract Officer Adam Ceasor. Meanwhile, in the honeymoon suite, Megan will prepare a series of rope harnesses for Spike, Adam and her to rappel down the black wall and into an alley, where I'll be with the unmarked SUV for extraction."

"And me?" Ed asked, as he had noted that Greg left out his involvement, "Where do you want me?"

"Across the street in the Royal Bank's CEO office, as a Sierra in case we have to go lethal."

"Copy that." Ed said, "Let's move."

* * *

><p>Megan rode with Spike in the black Mercedes-Benz that was supplied by Guns &amp; Gangs.<p>

"Leather seats!" Spike exclaimed when he got into the driver's seat, "I hate the cloth ones in my Sunfire."

"Radio check Eagle One & two." Ed radioed to them.

"Loud and clear." Spike responded.

"Right in my ear." Came Megan's.

"Weapons & gear?" Ed asked.

"Glock 26's in the small of our backs, and concealed cuffs in my pants." Spike replied.

"Cuffs in purse." Megan responded, as she looked over the nice leather purse she was given as part of her civilian clothes outfit, "Hey boss? What's our story- as the undercovers?"

"Uh, I didn't think about that." Greg admitted over the radio, "Think of something."

"A newlywed couple on their honeymoon?" Spike suggested.

"Please Spike," Megan said, "Husband cheating on wife in a hotel with a hot, young girlfriend?"

"That sounds believable." Ed replied, "But let's change girlfriend to…"

"Ed!" Megan exclaimed, "No!"

"Fine- girlfriend it is."

"Eagle one and two on location." Spike said, as Megan and him got out of the car, "Valet parking."

"Copy that- I'm on the ground off of black, eagles." Greg radioed to them, "Stay concealed and blue. Eddie?"

"Sierra One, in position, eagles one and two processed by security at the main doors- allowed entry. Mission is a go."

"Copy that." Greg said, "Keep me updated."

* * *

><p>At home, Jules started to go through things in her mind.<p>

_Finish the renovation. That should bring us to almost the end of the second trimester. Me and Megan will start attending the pre-natal classes. Do I want to bring Megan? She said she would, and I definitely want her there when I'm giving birth, so she should go to the classes with me._

She looked down at the coffee table, where she picked up the book that Megan had bought her, but hadn't started reading yet.

'_What To Expect When You're Expecting'- real original. I think I've heard that somewhere else. 'What To Expect When You're Expecting- the clear and concise guide to the happy birth of your child. Chapter One- The Responsibilities of Raising a Child'. Yeah, I know you have to be a responsible parent to a child- but a whole chapter dedicated to it? 'Ensuring you know what is best for your child', 'Proper feeding of your child', 'Career sacrifices to ensure that you bond with your child.' Wait- I'm expected to sacrifice my job for the baby? Yeah, ok sure, there's the maternity leave and all- but what about after that? Am I expected to only work part time? The taxes and bills won't pay for themselves… but I suppose Megan could help me out, right?_

* * *

><p>"The eagles have got their room." Ed informed over the radio, "Entering the 3rd elevator from the left to go to the seventh floor."<p>

"Ed, do you seriously need to commentate everything?" Megan whispered over the radio.

"Yup, I like sports." Ed replied, "My eyes have been compromised. Eagles- what do you see?"

"The inside of an elevator." Spike whispered, as the elevator stopped on the third floor.

Once the elevator stopped, and the doors opened, a large, tall man entered.

"10th floor, sweetheart." He said, as he graced Megan's cheek with his head.

Megan had to fight her temptation to swat the man's hand away and to place him in a pair of cuffs, but she fought the urge, and instead pressed the button for the 10th floor.

The elevator continued up, and let Megan and Spike out on their floor.

Once the elevator doors went closed, Spike looked around nervously and grabbed Megan's arm and hauled her into the room that they rented.

"Boss- did you access the CCTV?" Spike asked, "You should've been able to with the instructions I gave you."

"Yeah, why?" Greg asked.

"Look back in the camera in the elevator, and look at the guy who entered on third floor."

"You know him?" Greg asked.

"You got Wordy in the truck with you, right?" Spike asked.

"Yeah, Wordy is here." Greg replied, as he used a laptop to go back on the CCTV records, "Why?"

"Ask him if he recognizes the big guy."

Once Greg found the right camera, he reversed the feed, and found the image of Spike, Megan and the unidentified man in the elevator.

"You recognize him?" Greg asked, as he spun the computer around for Wordy to see.

"That's Leroux." Wordy said.

"Who's Leroux?" Megan asked, as she started on making the rope harnesses with a bundle of rope in the purse.

"Robert Jones Leroux-" Wordy informed over the radio, "Spike- how'd you know?"

"I recognized him from a picture from the database when the Central Dispatch Office needed their computers purged of the malware virus."

"That still doesn't answer my question." Megan asked, "Who's Leroux?"

"Robert Jones Leroux controls over half the drugs in the city. Big fish." Wordy explained over the radio, "We've been trying to put him away for a long time. This is the first time he's been spotted in the last three months. You guys will have to grab him before you blow your cover- we need him off the streets."

"We're here for an extraction of Officer Adam Ceasor, Wordy," Ed reminded, "Which one takes precedence?"

"Preferrably- both."

"Can't have both." Ed said, "Spike- what floor was Leroux headed to?"

"10th." Spike replied.

"Yeah, definitely can't have both Wordsworth."

"We need our guy, Eddie," Wordy complained, "He's been undercover for the past six months- hasn't been home, hasn't seen his wife, his kids- how would you like it if someone did that to you?"

"I know, Wordy, but we can't do it."

"I think we can," Megan said, "Spike can go after Adam like planned during the distraction. Before the distraction, I can pick the lock to the custodial closet near the elevator. I noted that it has an eye in it."

"We'd need an elevator over-ride for that to work." Spike said, "All I have is my phone and PDA. If the boss backs out of the FD database I set up for him on the laptop, I could use the PDA to hook up to the database. Once in, I can connect to the wireless network with my phone and create a five second network brown-out using an IP spoof. During the brown-out I could theoretically latch on to the local FD database and extract the over-ride codes. Once the brown-out is done, and no one noticed, I can then use my phone, and with another IP spoof, send the over-ride code to the elevator controller."

"And you can do all of that from where you are?" Wordy asked.

"Of course I can." Spike replied, "Theoretically."

"You sure, Spike?" Greg asked.

"Sure…"

"Spike, if you say 'theoretically' again, I'm going to smack you."

"Yeah, it's doable."

"What's the plan then?" Ed asked, "If Spike's over-riding elevators, then Megan needs to do the extract."

"It won't take me long Ed," Spike replied, "I can do it on my way up to 10th- I can make it look like I'm texting. I'll need to get up to 9th though before the distraction starts to give me a head start on the over-ride."

"And are we sure Leroux is going to come down the elevators?" Ed asked, "What if he's not alone? He's probably going to have a bodyguard."

"I'll detain both Ed." Megan thought of the solution, "Then Spike descends the elevator over-ride and I walk out the front doors."

"Not if security doesn't catch you." Ed pointed out, "And if they know who Leroux is, they may use you as target practice."

"I can handle it, Ed." Megan assured.

"Wordy- you sure you want to do this?" Ed asked, "Because we're taking a huge risk here. We're sending Spike up almost to the target without a distraction, and we got one officer in training arresting a drug lord and his hired muscle."

"We need both Ed."

"No, what we need is a priority." Ed instructed, "Make up your mind. Leroux or Ceasor? If you say both, I'll accept that, but then you'll need to prepare yourself to answer another question."

"Both. What else?"

"Which one would you rather let die? Officer Adam Ceasor, or kingpin Leroux?"

"If Leroux dies, then all of this is for nothing." Wordy pointed out.

"What's the directive?" Ed asked Wordy, "Whose life is the priority?"

"Leroux. Leroux is the priority."

"Team One- new deal." Ed summarized, "From his location, and ascending to 9th floor, officer Scarlatti will attempt to over-ride the elevator to stop at the seventh floor. Upon his confirmation at 9th, Sargent Greg Parker will call in the distraction. Using the distraction, Officer Scarlatti will extract Officer Adam Ceasor from the penthouse to a secure location. As well, during the distraction, Officer In Training Perrasmith will enter a facility closet on 7th floor, across from the elevators and await for Robert Jones Leroux to be stuck on seventh floor. Perrasmith will detain Leroux and will carefully descend the building into the lobby for safe extraction of Leroux into a waiting undercover 56th division car, which Guns and Gangs Officer Kevin Wordsworth will call in. The priority here is Robert Leroux. Am I clear Team One?"

"Copy that."

* * *

><p>Spike left the room and started working on the over-ride on his way up to 9th floor. Meanwhile, Megan was pacing the room, waiting for the distraction so she could enter the closet across the hall.<p>

Then her phone vibrated with a text message.

'From K. Wordsworth- Have something to drink from the mini-bar, it's on G&G'

Megan opened the fridge and saw that it was stocked with several bottles of wine, coolers, beer, and other alcoholic beverages.

She whipped out her phone and took a photo of the bar and texted Greg, 'Boss?'

After a few seconds Greg replied, 'Have a beer. Take the edge off.'

Once she knew that Greg was ok with her having a drink, she didn't think twice, and grabbed a beer, twisted the top and took a chug.

_Not as good as I thought it would be._

"Eagle one in position, awaiting distraction." Spike radioed in.

"Copy that, phoning in distraction." Greg replied.

Megan put down the beer, and removed the two lock picks from her purse that she'd need.

Once at the door, she peered out the eye hole.

"Hold- I see Leroux! I repeat- Leroux is on the 7th floor!"

* * *

><p>"What?" Ed asked, "Boss?"<p>

"Can't do it." Greg said, "just finished calling in the distraction."

"Alright, they know." Spike said, as he could hear activity from above him on the 10th floor penthouse, "Heading up to extract Adam."

"What's Leroux doing?" Ed asked.

"Pacing the hallway, looking for something?" Megan suggested, "You don't think he's looking for us, do you?"

"I doubt it." Wordy butted in, "Your entry into the hotel was solid, no holes."

"I got Leroux," Ed suggested, "He's in a windowed section- I have the solution."

"Ed- you can't take it!" Wordy yelled.

"I have Ceasor, and we are secure in a 9th floor bachelor suite." Spike radioed, "Eagle two?"

"I hear you, eagle one." Megan radioed back, "What's next? Do I approach Leroux?"

"What's the call here Greg?" Ed asked. "Boss- what's the call?"

"If we're going to make a move on Leroux, we need to do it know." Megan noted over the radio.

"Eagle two- have you been compromised?" Greg asked.

"Negative boss, eagle one has Adam secured. I can stealth behind Leroux and take him into custody."

"Can you do it silently- without weapons?" Greg asked.

"I don't know. Probably." Came Megan's answer.

"Eddie- you got Leroux?"

"Negative, no solution- he must be mobile throughout seventh floor."

"Am I approaching?" Megan asked.

"No- here's what we're doing." Greg said, "We're going to make him come to us. Spike- you and Ceasor descend to 8th floor, from there, there is a fire escape ladder- once you open the door to it, the alarm will go off. This will start an evacuation. Megan will evacuate, just like anyone else. Once in the evacuation zone, she will approach Leroux, with Ed covering her as Sierra. She will attempt to detain. If Leroux struggles, or Megan loses control, Sierra- you have Scorpio."

"We need Leroux!" Wordy yelled, "What part of that don't you get?"

"Settle down, Officer Wordsworth," Greg said, "because I value the lives of my officers over the lives of a criminal."

"Copy that," Ed confirmed, "The evac zone is north west of your position?"

"Correct, Sierra- watch it." Greg confirmed.

The fire alarm went off.

Megan pretended it was real, and bounded out the room without looking through the eye hole.

Had she had looked, she would've known that she was going to run right into Leroux.

"There is a fire- we must go!" Leroux commanded, in a deep French accent, as he ushered her to the nearest flight of steps, "Your boyfriend- in the elevator, where is he?"

"He went to get ice!" Megan exclaimed, lying and faking hysteria at the same time.

Once at the bottom of the steps, Megan opened the fire escape door which lead into the back alley, which was approximately north of where Greg was parked. Before she opened the door wide to let Leroux through, she made sure that Spike and Adam got into the undercover SUV beforehand.

"What are you waiting for?" Leroux said, as he shoved Megan to the ground, stepped over her and into the evacuation zone.

"Megan- I don't see you, where are you?" Ed asked, "Reply, or I'll take the shot."

"I'm fine." She whispered, as he grabbed for the compact handgun concealed on her back, drawing it out and pointing it at Leroux, "Hands in the air, put them up now!"

"Who are you?" Leroux asked her.

"OIT Perrasmith from the Strategic Response Unit- show me your hands, and put them on your head- now!"

"Policiers!" he exclaimed, as he drew for something in his pants.

"Hands where I can see them!" Megan ordered.

But Leroux's hand never came back out of his pocket, as Ed lined up his shot and took it.

* * *

><p>Greg, Wordy, and Spike all bounded out of the truck, guns in their hands.<p>

It was a good thing, because the high powered shot that took out Leroux caught the attention of the security guards who now had their guns trained on Megan.

"Lower your weapons!" Spike yelled at them, "Lower them!"

"Sierra One, coming to you." Ed informed, "Five minutes out."

"Put your weapons down, or you will be shot- do you understand?" Wordy yelled out.

"Carefully put your guns on the ground, and put your hands on your head." Greg carefully articulated.

"She'll put down her gun first." The security supervisor said, as he readied an AR15.

"No she won't!" Ed yelled from behind her. "Put the guns down, and hands where I can see them."

"You know you we are- and who you shot, right?"

"That's right." Ed replied, "Surrender your weapons, and I'll make a good long note of it that you were co-operative with the police."

"Fine." The supervisor said, as he spoke French to his subordinates.

* * *

><p>Once back at SRU, Spike and Megan changed.<p>

In the locker room, Megan looked in the mirror at her one side of her body, where she had made contact with the ground when Leroux pushed her. Up her leg, and around the one side of her leg was a big reddish bruise. Her stomach wasn't too bad, but her face had a few spots where some loose rocks and pebbles drove into her skin, causing her to bleed.

"Hey there." Came a voice.

Megan quickly covered her chest, as she spun around to see Kiera.

"Kiera? I thought you guys had your own change room?"

"They're renovating it." Kiera said, as she made no intentions of hiding the fact that she was checking Megan out.

"Yeah, great. Do you mind?"

Kiera broke her glance at Megan's body and started to leave, "Looking good."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Say whaaaaaaaaaat? That's right, **_**A New Beginning **_**fans, that's ****right.**

**Keep those boots on.**


	44. Everybody Loves Larry

"Three, Four, Two, One!" Megan yelled out.

As soon as she finished yelling it out, the Team Four member beside her on the firing line, shot at the respective plates, in the respective order.

"One, Four, Three, Two!"

Again, four more shots.

After performing the test several times, and logging down the information, Megan calculated the score of the member to be at 95%.

After shaking his hand, and leaving the firing line, Ed came up beside her.

"And?" he asked, "How'd they do?"

"Good."

"Good?" Ed asked, "Good enough to best us in the CQB Tower?"

"Not that good Ed."

* * *

><p>"Alright, here's what I'm thinking." Ed said, as he directed the team to their positions in the CQB Tower, "They'll either enter off of front or rear, so let's keep everybody off of the first floor. Spike and Megan will lay fire on a diagonal, forcing them to hug the walls. As they enter, lay strobes on either side of the open center. Me and the boss will be dynamic among floors 3 to 5. Got it?"<p>

"Got it."

Team four entered off of the rear exit. Immediately, both Spike and Megan launched a strobe on either side of the center piece and started shooting on a diagonal, as instructed by Ed.

Megan was trying to make her shots count, only shooting when she thought she had an ample chance to lay a hit on someone, whereas, when we looked across the balcony, Spike had his finger pressed up tight on the paintball gun, firing over ten rounds a second.

_He loves that paintball gun, doesn't he?_

* * *

><p>After the CQB testing, both teams one and four retired back to the main building.<p>

"We had you pinned there for a second, Donna." Ed said.

"No you didn't," Donna replied, "You just distracted us with the strobes and Spike's maniacal shooting style. I hope you don't waste that many rounds in the field Spike."

"He doesn't have enough chance," Megan joked, "He spends too much time in the truck."

Ed, Megan, Greg and all of Team Four laughed.

"Hey, at least I can crack a firewall in less than a minute." Spike said, "We'll see if your guys are up to snuff after lunch." Spike replied.

"Bring it on," Donna laughed back at him, "But don't think I haven't tested them in Effective Computing."

* * *

><p>Team One let Team Four use the debriefing room for their lunch.<p>

"This is kinda fun." Megan said, "Running another team through re-qualifications, and not being on the call list. We should do this more often."

"Perrasmith," Ed said, as he stood in front of her in line at the cafeteria, "You read my mind, don't you?"

"So why don't we do it more often then?"

"Because," Greg said, as he sat beside Ed and across from Megan with his brown bag lunch, "As much fun as it is, it's a pain in the…"

"Boss-" Spike said, as he sat down beside Megan, "How can you eat outside food in the cafeteria- blasphemy!"

"Unlike the members of my team who are eating a hamburger, what appears to be half a pizza and a salad- by the way, good choice Megan- I'm choosing to not die with a high cholesterol rating."

"Whatever floats your boat boss." Came a voice from behind Greg.

The entire team looked up, to see Jules as she sat down beside Greg.

"What are you doing up mom? You're supposed to be resting." Megan stated.

"I can't rest with my friends?" Jules said, "You guys look good. And that pizza looks like heaven, Spike."

"You want a piece?" Spike offered.

"No, the last time I had pizza I had heartburn all night."

"Your loss, my gain." Spike said, as he started eating his pizza.

Ed reached over and grabbed a piece of Spike's pizza and put it on a napkin and handed it over to Jules.

"Why would you deny a pregnant woman food Spike?" Ed asked, "Plus, I don't want you bogged down for the rest of the day."

"Relax Ed," Spike replied, "With my work ethic-"

"Which is to sit in front of a computer and unlock doors remotely." Megan joked,

"-with my work ethic, I'll burn it off." Spike replied, "What's next on the list?"

Megan pulled out her PDA and answered, "Hand to hand and general CQB up next, followed by computing and bomb identification. And throughout that, the commander is going to be pulling each member aside for pysch evaluations with Toft."

"Seriously?" Ed said, dropping his burger, "I have to be in the same building with that guy?"

"Yes." Dr. Toft said, as he came by the table that Team One was sitting at.

Both Megan and Jules ignored the apple that he had in one hand, but instead were drawn to the purple files in his other hand, which they recognized as being the color for therapy notes and records.

Toft saw Megan and Jules staring at the files, "Good reading material." He commented, before he left.

"I hate Larry Toft." Ed said.

* * *

><p>For the rest of the day, all Megan could think about was Dr. Toft reading the therapy notes that Dr. Green was making on her therapy sessions and whether or not Dr. Toft would see reasons to have her dismissed from the team.<p>

_He can't do that, can he?_

"Megan!"

She spun around to see Greg.

"What?"

"Why don't we go to my office?"

Megan followed Greg to his office and she sat down across from him.

"You're distracted." Greg said.

"I'm tired." Megan lied, "I haven't been sleeping lately."

"You been taking the sleeping pills that Laura prescribed?"

"Yeah, but they're not helping. I think I might need something stronger."

"Did you ask her about it?" Greg asked.

"I'm not scheduled to see her until Friday."

"She's free the last time I saw her, why don't you drop by now?"

"Ed?" Megan asked.

"Is busy helping Spike run Team Four through the computer and bomb drills."

Megan immediately got up and went down the hallway. She reached a secured door, but she swiped her access card, which opened the door for her. Once on the other side, Dr. Green's office was the first one.

"I told you Dr. Green, I need to be updated on the status of all the officers in question." A male's voice came from her office.

Megan approached the open door, to find Dr. Toft standing in front of Dr. Laura Green, who remained seated at her desk, like usual.

"Dr. Toft." Megan said, "How are you?"

"I could be doing better, Perrasmith, because I know that you and your mother are being treated by Dr. Green, but she is refusing to let me see the files because 'I don't have authorization'. We'll see about that, shall we?" Dr. Toft threatened, as he left.

"Megan- how can I help you?" Laura asked, who seemed unfazed by Dr. Toft's outburst.

"Why don't you seem concerned?" Megan asked, as she sat down, "You don't think he's going to get authorization, do you?"

"The only way he's going to get authorization is if he gets cleared to do an evaluation. He won't be able to do that, because your last evaluation was done less than 5 months ago, so it's still valid. How can I help you?"

"I need something stronger."

"How do you mean?"

"The sleeping pills- I haven't been able to sleep."

"Ok Megan," she said, as she took out her pad, "I'm not going to change the drug, I'm just going to change the dose, ok?"

"If you think it'll work, then fine."

* * *

><p>Megan felt relieved that Toft didn't have any reason to be poking around in her therapy file, so she kept her new prescription on her.<p>

She entered the gym to see the commander, Ed, Greg, and Dr. Toft standing together having a heated conversation. Instead of approaching them, she approached the dispatcher's desk, where Spike was having a spirited conversation with Kiera.

As Megan approached the desk, she noticed that yet again Kiera quickly checked her out.

_This is starting to get creepy._

"Textbook!" Spike said, "The girl with knowledge!"

"What are they talking about?" Megan asked, as she pointed over to the conversation in the gym.

"Toft wants to do a paired psychological evaluation."

"What's that?"

"It's where he evaluates two people at the same time, and judges their reactions to each other's answers."

"Seems a bit cruel." Megan commented, "Why is the boss and Eddie there- isn't Toft here to evaluate Team Four?"

"Megan-" Spike said, "He wants to do a paired evaluation with you and Ed."

* * *

><p>As soon as Megan registered the words Spike said, she started walking over to the conversation, but Spike was trying to stop her, "Megan, you don't want to.."<p>

"Don't tell me what I want to do, Spike!" she yelled at him, as she pushed Spike off of her, as she approached Toft, "Do you have a problem with me?"

"Calm down." Dr. Toft said calmly.

"I asked if you have a problem with me!?" Megan yelled at Toft.

"Megan Perrasmith- stand down." Ed ordered.

Megan tried to control herself, but found that it just caused her to breathe hard.

"As Megan just pointed out, she does need to be evaluated, Commander." Toft pointed out, "And since she's an officer in training, it just makes sense to do a paired evaluation with her superior- Ed Lane."

The commander thought about it. "Alright. Greg- you'll do Team Four's evaluations in conference room four, and Toft will use the debriefing room."

"Why don't you and Ed go make yourselves comfortable?" Toft invited them to the debriefing room, looking very happy, "I have a few files to pick up."

* * *

><p>After Toft got back, he hooked Megan and Ed up to the polygraph machines.<p>

"Ed-" Toft started, "Please empty your pockets."

"I'm sorry, what?" Ed asked.

"Empty your pockets."

"This about the last time Larry?" Ed spoke to him, "Because the last time, I wanted to get out of here so I could see my baby girl be born- that so hard to understand?"

"Ed, you left a loaded firearm on the table, pointed in my direction- what do you think?"

Ed got up and emptied his pockets.

"Wallet, gum, some spare change, and a coupon for a free coffee." Ed said as he sat back down, "That so interesting?"

"Why don't you tell me two truths and a lie, in that order." Toft asked.

"I don't want to be doing this right now, I love my wife, and I love Larry Toft."

"Excellent. Thank you Eddie, now you Megan."

Megan started to get up to empty her pockets.

"No- just two truths and a lie- in that order." Toft explained.

"I'm renovating my house, love the color black, and I think bunnies are cute."

"Word association, Megan- do you know what that is?"

"Reactions."

"Well actually…"

"Lying."

"You started without me?"

"Of course."

"Ok- apple."

"Food."

"Fire."

"Arm."

"Love."

"My job."

"Kristopher Perrasmith."

Megan hesitated.

"Megan? Did you hear the last one?" Toft asked in a condescending tone, "Kristopher Perrasmith."

"Father."

"Ok, let's stop that there. Incident Number 21843- A shooting at the Scarborough Town Center- do you remember this?"

"Yes." Megan replied, "I was negotiating with the subject-"

"If you were negotiating with the subject, then why did Ed intervene?"

"Ed knew of a different angle to come from, to talk the individual down." Megan said.

"According to your Sargent's notes, during the debriefing you yelled at Ed, and I quote your Sargent's notes, as he directly quoted- Ed said 'You lost control of the situation' and you responded, 'Just like when you lost control and my dad died'- correct?"

"Yes."

"Word association- no thinking."

"No problem."

"Kristopher Perrasmith."

"Father."

"Megan, do you blame Edward Lane for the death of your father?"

"No."

"Who do you blame?"

"I blame the guy who shot him."

"Then why-" Toft asked, as he pulled out some sheets, "Is your name on the evidence journal for the internal affairs case against Greg Parker and Edward Lane in the Wrongful Death of a Police Officer and Disregard for Officer Safety?"

"Because I lent my mom's lawyer my copy of the SRU Operations Manual." Megan answered, "Anything else?"

"Not for you. Ed- you were there when Kristopher Perrasmith died- what were his last words?"

"His last words were, 'take care of them'." Ed replied.

"In what context?"

"What do you mean?"

"Word association- Kristopher Perrasmith."

"Dead."

"Megan- case number A2453."

"That's not an SRU case." Ed interrupted.

"Am I talking to you, Officer Lane?" Toft said, "Case number A2453- the assault of Megan Perrasmith by Sam Braddock. You decided to lay charges, correct?"

"Yes."

"Were you emotionally traumatized by the event?"

"No."

"Then why did you mention it to your therapist that you started seeing a month after this incident?"

"Therapist?" Ed asked, "Megan…"

"Not now Ed." Toft informed, "If you weren't traumatized by the event, why did you mention it?"

"Because she wanted to get into my frame of mind." Megan said, as he eyes started to tear up.

"Why was a therapist trying to interpret your thoughts?"

"Because."

"That's an omission of an answer- let's try that again- why was a therapist trying to interpret your thoughts?"

"Because I'm in therapy you idiot!" Megan screamed, as she picked up her purple file and threw it in front of Toft- "Go ahead, read it!"

Megan started to cry harder.

"Megan- are you ok?" Ed asked, "Your dad?"

Megan nodded to Ed, who understood.

"You didn't know that one of your team members was undergoing therapy, Ed?" Toft questioned, "That just doesn't go along with your 'need to know' attitude, does it?"

"What do you want to know?"

"I want to know if you think Megan Perrasmith is emotionally unstable and should be removed from duty."

"No- she's the best Officer that I've ever trained." Ed replied, "And don't even try to spin the words, Larry."

"That's not what I'm trying to do." Larry admitted, "I'm just trying to get the facts."

"Then I'll give them to you," Ed responded, curtly, "Kristopher Perrasmith was a decorated police officer for nearly 10 years. Add on 10 months of excellent, above average SRU service. He served two years protecting the Halifax Shipping Yards, and another four years of protecting our nation's border with the Border Services. Father to two children- Megan and Matthew- Megan had to watch as her father was laid to rest, and Matthew will probably never remember his biological father. Loving husband to Julianna Perrasmith for two years, and he'll never see his baby daughter be born. Husband to Haley McLeod- high school sweethearts, got married after graduation. Spent over a decade of marriage to her, and she divorced him because she couldn't handle his job. Kristopher Perrasmith then had to shoot her as part of his job. So don't tell me he wasn't a great man. Don't tell me that Megan doesn't have the right to mourn the loss of her father, the man who has cared for her since birth for as long as she wants."

"I'm glad I had my voice recorder on." Toft replied to Ed's rant.

"We done here?" Ed asked.

"I suppose so."

Ed got up and removed the gizmos attached to him, and lifted Megan up, and removed hers, as they walked out of the room together, with Megan's head resting on Ed's arm, with tears still in her eyes.

* * *

><p>After Ed and Megan left the room, the Commander summoned for Greg, who joined Dr. Toft in a closed door session.<p>

Meanwhile, Ed was still trying to comfort Megan.

"It's ok, it's ok." Ed comforted, "Spike."

"I'm on it." Spike replied, as he ran to the fridge and got a bottle of water, which he then passed to Megan.

"Thanks." Came her weak reply, "Ed- I didn't mean to get mad at Toft."

"I know." Ed said with a smile, "He pisses me off too."

Suddenly the debriefing room door opened, and Toft came out first and approached Ed and Megan where they sat.

"Megan, you are cleared for duty." Toft explained, "I'm sorry for the loss of your father."

Once Toft left the room Megan spoke again.

"I hate Larry Toft."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Who doesn't hate Larry Toft- he breaks up teams! Like I said- keep those boots on **_**A New Beginning **_**fans.**


	45. Finishing Touches

"Oh, I think you missed a spot there Spike." Megan pointed out.

"Yeah," Jules agreed, "And don't forget there is the other ceiling when you're done that one too."

Up on the ladder, with a small painting roller, and a tray full of paint, Spike replied, "You know when I said I'd come over and give you a hand, I didn't mean that you could just sit around and watch me work."

"Where's the fun in that?" Megan asked.

"Hey- she's been working hard." Jules pointed out, "She pretty much built this entire addition herself, has continued her officer training, and undergoing emotional therapy. Even with all of that- she's been having a hard time sleeping."

Megan looked over to Jules. She had told her mom about the evaluation that Toft the moment she had walked in the door, and admitted that she cried in front of him, and didn't want to lie anymore to Spike or Ed about her therapy.

"You know what helps me when I'm having a hard time sleeping…" Spike started to suggest.

"Spike- we don't' want to hear it." Jules said, as he shook her head, "Keep those thoughts to yourself when you're in your bedroom."

"Even thinking about it gives me shivers." Megan said, "Seriously Spike?"

"Actually, I was going to say getting some strange would help, but yeah, I suppose that might help too, if you can't find any strange."

"And by strange he means…"Jules started to explain.

"Yeah, yeah- I know what he means." Megan said, trying to end the subject about sex, "What color are we painting the baby's room?"

"I'm thinking yellow, or blue." Jules thought out loud, "Why what were you thinking?"

"I was thinking of leaving it how it is. Seeing the walls painted the grey and black, and seeing you and me in grey uniforms might pull her towards a policing career."

"Not even born yet, and you're planning her career," Spike spoke up, "Yeah, you're going to be a great sister."

"Hey, I'm going to be an awesome sister." Megan replied to Spike.

"Are you coming back to SRU after the baby comes?" Spike asked Jules.

"I don't know." Jules thought, "I've been thinking about it. You know- I've been a part of the SRU for close to 7 years now. It's all I really know."

"You're smart though," Megan said, "You could do anything."

"So could you."

"Yeah, but if I wanted to do anything else in policing, I'd need to finish college and do the training academy."

"You could finish up your degree and challenge the academy." Spike pointed out.

"Yeah, I know. But what else would I do? Not interested in regular beat patrol, definitely don't want to be a dispatcher, and as neutral I am to dogs, I don't think I could work with them all day in a K9 unit."

"There's OPP and RCMP." Spike suggested.

"Right, because I'd want to be pulling over people on the highway doing over 100 kilometers an hour."

"You're kinda throwing yourself in a corner." Spike said, as he continued painting.

"Yeah, just like that spot you missed Spike- in the corner."

* * *

><p>Megan showed up with Jules the next day at SRU.<p>

"There's that baby belly." Winnie said, as they walked up to the desk, "Spike was telling me all about it."

Jules laughed. "What a guy."

"He just cares, that's all." Winnie said, "So what brings you here?"

"My Jeep is in the shop getting some work done, so I'm talking Megan's truck, and I wanted to come in and see everybody."

"Heyo, mommyo!" Spike exclaimed, as he came out of the locker room.

As he approached Jules, he rubbed her belly, "Spike needs his good luck today, doesn't he?" Jules said.

"You bet." Spike replied, "I'm performing major surgery on Babycakes this morning, and Megan's going to help me."

"Spike…" Megan complained, "Seriously?"

"Come on, it'll be fun."

* * *

><p>"Scalpel." Spike asked , in a very serious note.<p>

"Seriously Spike?" Megan asked, as she handed in a pair of cutters, "Just call them cutters, And what's with the operating room clothes?"

"Babycakes is very sensitive. The smallest bit of dirt on her microchips could fry her to oblivion."

"Right, I'm sure." Megan said, with a big sigh, "What are you doing anyways?"

"Installing three new infrared cameras to replace some older units that got discontinued."

"You couldn't just run the discontinued units?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"Because they wouldn't have any warranty on them." Spike explained.

"Spike, I've known you for almost 4 years now- since I've known you, you've opened your DVR box to add a bigger hard-drive, you replaced the CD-ROM drive on a laptop to a Blu-Ray drive, re-programmed an Xbox360 controller to work with your PS3, and you're successfully using a cell phone that you can switch between carriers with a few simple keystrokes and can use triple A batteries in. I'd have to think you don't really respect warranties."

"Well I do." Spike replied, "Fly swatter."

"What?"

"Fly swatter!"

Megan looked around, and actually managed to find a fly swatter hanging up on the wall.

"What do you need this for?"

"To ensure I have uninterrupted work." Spike responded, as he swatted a fly away.

"Crazy." Megan muttered.

* * *

><p>After Babycakes' 'surgery', Megan and Spike walked back from the garage to the gym.<p>

"So…" Spike said, breaking the silence, "Kiera."

"What about her? You have a thing for her?" Megan asked.

"I'm not her type," Spike admitted, as they went through a set of double doors, "But I think you are."

"Oh god." Megan replied, "Seriously, you noticed that?"

"Noticed what?" Spike asked, as they he swiped his card to allow them back into the main building.

"Nothing."

"Right-" Spike said, "Something makes me think that she's attracted to the same…"

"Spike!" Ed yelled from the gym, "Where have you been all morning?"

"Did you not see the note I left on your locker?" Spike said, as he walked onto a treadmill and started some slow cardio.

"There was nothing on my locker."

"Team One, hot call!" Winnie's voice came over the intercom, "Oh wait…"

"Winnie, what's going on?" Ed yelled over.

"Dispatch accidentally sent a 10-22T to SRU, they're descending the order now."

Megan started doing leg curls. "Ed- what are we doing today?"

"As far as I know, after we're finished working out- patrolling. Me and you on alpha, and Spike and Greg on Bravo."

"Sweet."

* * *

><p>After the workout, Megan and Ed started out on their 5 hour patrol through the city.<p>

"So patrols-" Megan started, "What exactly is the point of the SRU doing patrols?"

"We always have a team doing patrols." Ed explained, "It shows that the SRU is always ready to respond to any and all threats. Also, it provides us with some face time with the public when we do our foot patrols."

"We do foot patrols?"

"Yep-" Ed continued, "We'll eventually make our way down to the docks. Once we're there, we'll park and walk the entire length and back."

"And the face time? What's the point of that?"

"Well, a lot of people think that SRU is a bunch of hard skinned, tough, know-it-all cops, and by putting in some face time, we're showing people that we're just like them."

"Right- just without the body armor and automatic weapons."

"Team One Alpha-" Winnie spoke over the radio, "What is your location?"

Ed nodded to Megan, allowing her to pick up the radio.

"Dispatch, we're southbound on Elliot Avenue."

"Copy that- please respond to unknown call at the base of the rail bridge over Copeland. Responding officer on scene is keeping his distance and awaiting SRU order."

Ed pushed on the gas harder and threw on the lights and sirens.

"Copy that dispatch." Megan responded, "Team One Alpha en route- tell officer on scene to maintain distance and await instruction from SRU when on scene."

* * *

><p>Once there, Ed and Megan got out and approached the officer.<p>

"Officer Bob Hart," he introduced, "I was just driving by, and I saw a bunch of teenagers at the bottom here- looked like they were doing some suspicious."

"Did you approach? Make contact?" Ed questioned.

"Didn't approach or contact. I know when to call in you guys."

"Copy that, let's approach Megan." Ed said, as they slowly started walking down the embankment to the large group of teenagers.

"What's the call here?" Megan whispered.

"Suspicious." Ed said, "Weapons drawn, no scorpio- do you copy?"

"Yes sir."

"Police- SRU!" Ed yelled, as they started on the group.

Immediately the group of teenagers started to run, all in the same direction.

"Megan, you head them off, I'll stay here and contain!" Ed ordered.

Megan ran to try to catch up to the teenagers. Most of them had a good start on her, but there were a few stragglers.

Her eyes focused on one, who seemed to be about her age, and she pumped her legs harder, and managed to tackle him to the ground.

"Ow!" he said, as he dropped hard on the ground.

"Hands where I can see them!" Megan said, as she stood back up, "Roll over onto your back and keep your hands in the air."

With obedience, the teenager did as he was told. Once he was on his back, Megan recognized him.

She motioned with her index finger over her mouth, as she turned off the radio.

"Clark?" she asked.

"Megan- right?"

Megan offered him a hand, and hauled him up to his feet, "What are you doing here Clark?"

"I'm hanging out with my friends."

"Been doing anything strange lately with these friends Clark?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"What I mean is that we get a call about a suspicious group of teenagers and you just happen to be one of them."

"Look- can you not tell my dad? He's been so pissed at me lately."

Megan put her hand on her radio, "Just go."

Clark ran off as she turned it back on.

"Megan?" Ed radioed to her, "You ok? I've been trying to get you for the past few minutes."

"I tried pinning one of the teenagers. They all got away from me."

"Copy that," Ed replied, "Return back."

Megan started her walk back.

"Help!" came a woman's voice, in between screams of pain.

"Ed!" Megan radioed, "I got action to my left flank- you got my GPS?"

"Copy that- I'll be there in thirty seconds." Came Ed's reply.

Megan ran towards the screams. She crashed through a series of bushes, and darted through a bunch of trees. Sure enough, like Ed estimated, he was with her within thirty seconds.

"Help me, please!" the woman cried again, who was on the other side of a huge thicket of bushes.

"Stop…yelling." Came a man's low voice.

Together Ed and Megan went through the thicket.

Once on the other side, Megan saw a man pinning a woman to the ground, as he groped her tightly, and was attempting to take off her clothes.

"Oh my god…" Megan muttered, as she looked away.

"You ok?" Ed asked.

"I…I just can't watch it." Megan said, as she hid the scene from her view by looking at Ed's back.

"That's ok-" Ed replied, "You'll be the secondary. Call it in."

"SRU Dispatch-" Megan radioed in.

"Go ahead Team One Alpha," Winnie started, "What's your status and location?"

"Location on GPS, status all ok."

"Anything else Team One Alpha?" Winnie asked.

"Yes- elevate the call."

"To?'

"Suspicious persons fled. Call is now elevated to rape in progress."

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry, what was that?" Winnie asked, "What is the call elevated to?"<p>

"The call is a rape in progress. Team Leader Ed Lane will proceed with negotiations, OIT Perrasmith will be on standby as secondary."

"Copy that." Winnie replied.

"Sir- get off of her, right now!" Ed yelled, "Think about what you're about to do."

"Help me!" the woman yelled, "Shoot him!"

"Ma'am, I'm going to ask you to please calm down, and do not struggle." Ed calmly reply.

"He'll do it." She spoke back to Ed, "He'll do it."

Finally, Megan worked up the courage to step out from behind Ed, and face the incident.

"Put your hands on your head- both of you!" she yelled with previously unknown ferocity, "Stop what you are doing, or you will be shot!"

"Stop right now!" Ed yelled, "Megan- switch to less lethal, and place your shot."

"But Ed, he's going to…"

"Megan…"

Megan removed the magazine filled with lethal bullets, and placed a magazine marked with a blue stripe, which was loaded with rubber bullets.

"This is your last warning, sir!" Megan yelled, "Stop now, or you will be shot and detained!"

He continued fighting against the struggling woman.

Like she was trained, Megan lined up her shot into the man's chest and let it fly.

* * *

><p>Finally, after their patrol was finished, Ed and Megan returned to SRU.<p>

Ed pulled the vehicle in the garage, where they got out and started to put things away.

"You ok?" Ed asked her, "I'm only asking because you haven't said a word since we transferred custody of Dale Adams into Officer Bob Hart's control."

"Why didn't you go lethal?" Megan asked, as she took out her patrol bag from the back seat.

"It was a decision that I made." Ed replied.

"So is that the decisions you make when women are being violated?" Megan asked, "Because he's going to spend a year in prison because it was only attempted rape. Then he's going to be on the National Sexual Offenders list, but as soon as he does a Sexual Rehabilitation course, he'll be removed from the NSO. What's to stop him from trying it again once that's all over?"

"Let's hope he doesn't try it again." Ed said, "We can't control everything, we can only control what we see. What if he sees the error of his way, and becomes a better person because of it?"

"But what if he tries to rape someone else?" Megan asked back.

"Then we'll do our job, and protect the peace." Ed said, with a sense of finality.


	46. Bloodbath

Greg, Ed, Megan and Spike all stood in a row while several SIU investigators took pictures of their gear.

While they stood in the middle of the gym, Winnie, Kiera and Jules stood over near the dispatcher's desk.

"Why are you here?" Kiera asked Jules.

"Jeep's still in the shop. Came to pick up Megan, how long do you think this is going to take?"

"Well, based on the fact that their call took less than a half hour from the time I received the call from central dispatch, to the time that they came back, and the fact that there is four silent, double patient medical wagons going to the City Morgue as we speak-" Winnie said, "Could be a while."

"Megan's first?" Kiera asked.

Jules assumed she was asking if this was Megan's first SIU inspection, "Yeah." She replied.

* * *

><p>SIU lead Team One down to conference room one to start processing.<p>

"We all know what happened, ok?" Greg said, as they all sat down in the provided chairs, "We're just relaying the facts, make sure we cross our T's and dot our I's."

"You're sequestered." An officer said, as he stepped into the room to watch over the team, "You know what that means."

"Actually I…" Megan started.

"It means we can't talk to each other until after the hearing is finished." Ed explained.

"What did I just say?" the officer snapped back.

The door opened and the officer popped his head out and some inaudible whispering could be heard.

After the hushed conversation was over, he brought his head back into the room.

"Michelangelo Scarlatti- you're up."

* * *

><p>"Your name, for the record please." The SIU inspector asked Spike.<p>

"Michelangelo Scarlatti. My team refers to me as Spike, which you'll find in the transcript. Some people refer to me as Mike."

"Thank you. Why don't you tell us what happened?"

"We received the call…"

"_Team One! Hot call! Hot call!" Winnie yelled out, "Shooting in progress at St. Georgian High School."_

_The team quickly got together and reported to the scene._

"_Spike, you're in the truck." Greg said._

"_Boss, we got an active shooter in that school, where we currently have over 500 students at risk. I need the manpower." Ed asked._

"Do you agree with Ed's decision to use you inside the school, instead of gathering intel?" the inspector asked.

"Yes."

"Please continue."

_Following Ed and Megan, who held ballistic shields- Spike walked behind them._

"_First responders say that the last shot came from the 1__st__ hallway on your left." Greg radioed in._

"_We need a full lockdown." Ed said, as Megan nodded._

"_In progress Eddie, you guys have a blanketing Scorpio- we need to stop what's going on here today."_

_Ed signaled for Spike to hang back, as Megan and Ed entered the hallway first, with the shields. From the other side of the hallway, and unable to see what was going on, Spike heard three gunshots._

"_One suspect down…how many left?" Megan asked with a slight quiver in her voice._

"_Unknown." Greg replied, "Please be careful."_

"So your Team Leader told you to stay back?" the inspector asked.

"Yes. " Spike answered, "Both him and OIT.."

"OIT- what does that stand for?"

"Officer in Training."

"Ok, thank you." The inspector thanked, making a note of it, "Continue."

"Both Ed and Megan were carrying ballistic shields, and therefore were more equipped to handle the front flank."

"Thank you Mr. Scarlatti," the inspector said, "I think I got everything I need from you."

"But I didn't even tell you everything that happened."

"Yes, but you just admitted that you were not the responding officer to any of the remaining incidents, correct?"

"I'm part of SRU Team One, so I am a responding officer."

"Did you, in the course of your duties today, have to enact the order of Scorpio?"

"No."

"Then, it's clear that both Edward Lane and Megan Perrasmith shot and killed the 4 shooters, meaning I should be talking to them, not you. Thank you for your time."

* * *

><p>"What is your role, as part of SRU Team One?"<p>

Greg spoke into the microphone, "My role is Team Sargent."

"You command Michelangelo "Spike" Scarlatti, Ed Lane, and Megan Perrasmith?"

"Yes."

"Ok, why don't you tell me everything that happened after you spoke to your team, and I quote, from what Officer Scarlatti told me and the transcript says, 'In progress Eddie, you guys have a blanketing Scorpio- we need to stop what's going on here today.' "

"_In progress Eddie, you guys have a blanketing Scorpio- we need to stop what's going on here today." Greg said._

_Suddenly a teacher approached him. "I'm looking for…"_

"_Sir, our goal is to get all of the students out of there safely." Greg assured her, "Is there anything you can tell me?"_

_Then Greg heard three shots over the radio. _

"_One suspect down- how many left?" Megan asked over the radio._

"_Unknown." Greg replied, "Please be careful."_

"_Sorry about that Sir," Greg apologized, "Please continue."_

"_I was just coming in." he explained, "I'm the junior soccer team coach, and we were at a tournament in St. Catherines. When the bus was pulling in, I saw four men pull up in that car, and get out, with guns, and they ran into the school."_

"_Were you able to get a good look at them? What did they look like?"_

"_No- they were wearing ski masks."_

"_What kind of guns did they have with them? Handguns, rifles?"_

"_Assault weapons, I'd guess an AK or an AR?" he said, "My team likes to play Call of Duty when we're on away games."_

_Greg nodded, as he walked away from the coach, "Listen up team- we have four gun men, according to an eye witness who saw them enter the school. We got one down, brings us to three. The witness says they were carrying assault weapons."_

"_It fits." Megan said, "The last guy was carrying a Colt AR15. Looked like it was military issue- probably has the fun switch installed."_

"_Winnie- I have a plate for you to run, Alpha Charlie, Fifty Seven, Five, Five, Five." _

"_Copy that boss, running the plate."_

"What was the result of the search of the plates?" the inspector asked, making notes in the file.

"The plates came up stolen from a truck in Newmarket. It made sense, because the DMV wouldn't issue plates formatted in double alphanumeric followed by five numbers to a car. They only issue those types of plates to trucks." Greg explained.

"So it didn't help you answer the question that your Team Leader asked next?"

"_What's the MO here boss?" Ed asked._

"_I don't have any leads here. Keep it covered and me informed."_

"_Copy that."_

"No, it didn't help us identify the motive of the shooters." Greg admitted.

"Now that this critical incident is over, what do you think was the motive- from a professional standpoint, obviously?"

"As the EMTs were carting out the bodies, I discerned that all the shooters seemed to be…."

"Be what?"

"They weren't Caucasian." Greg pointed out, "They were of a different nationality. St. Georgian High School's demographic is typically upper class Caucasian."

"Are you purposely being racist?"

"No, it was just my observation."

"Please continue Sargent."

"_Alpha team heading west and taking heavy fire!" Ed yelled into the radio._

"_You have Scorpio, Eddie." Greg reminded._

"_No solution, no solution- fall back, fall back!"_

"_Ed- I got the solution!" Megan yelled._

"_Take it!"_

"So according to your tally Sargent, your Officer in Training, at this point, had fatally shot two people, correct?"

"We shoot to kill, so yes." Greg answered, "What is this about?"

"Just getting the facts together, Sargent, you know the drill- so I can present the proper figures to the press upon the request of a press release."

Greg leaned over and turned the microphone off.

"So what?" Greg asked, "You're going to point out that it was an officer in training who did all of this? Because that's not going to do nothing but either excel or slow down her career, depending on how you word things."

"I'm gathering the facts, and determining if there was just cause for the deaths of the four suspects, three students and a teacher."

"We didn't cause the deaths of the student or the teacher."

"I know."

* * *

><p>"Edward Lane- you are the Team Leader and Tactician?"<p>

"Yes." Came Ed's reply.

"Good." The inspector replied, "So Officer In Training Megan Perrasmith was in good hands then?"

"Yes." Ed responded, "She was- that and she is an excellent officer in her own right who is capable of making her own split second decisions."

"Is it true that she is undergoing emotional therapy?"

"Yes."

"For what exactly?"

"To help her cope with the death of her father."

"I'm sorry to hear that." The inspector said, as he reached forward and stopped the recording, "How did he die?"

"He was shot in the neck by an angry journalist while providing additional courthouse security. Why don't we talk about today's shooting?"

He turned the recorder back on.

"Why don't we? Megan Perrasmith shot how many of the four suspects?"

"Three."

"And you shot the last one?"

"Correct."

"Do you believe that the order Scorpio was justified?"

"Yes- when we have a large, uncontainable building filled with the lives of innocent people, we must protect them first, and therefore the Scorpio order was justified. Are you seriously asking about Use of Force? Look at the National Model."

"I'm well versed with the National Model of the Use of Force." The inspector assured Ed, "Tell me what happened- starting from the point where you asked your boss about the motive of the shooting."

"Ok."

"_What's the MO here boss?" Ed asked._

"_I don't have any leads here. Keep it covered and me informed." Greg answered._

"_Copy that."_

_Megan and Ed continued on._

"_You ok, OIT Perrasmith?" Ed asked._

"_Yes, sir- fine and dandy."_

"_Good. Let's keep the peace."_

_Ed started to turn a corner that would lead them into a hallway that faced west, but he suddenly came to a stop when both his shield and Megan's started blocking heavy fire._

"_Alpha team heading west and taking heavy fire!" Ed yelled._

"_You have Scorpio, Eddie." Greg reminded._

"_No solution, no solution- fall back, fall back!"_

"_Ed- I got the solution!" Megan responded._

"_Take it!"_

_Megan dropped her shield, and used the adjacent wall as cover and carefully lined up her shot and took it._

"_Another suspect down." Megan radioed in, "Two to go."_

"Are you comfortable with the language that your Officer In Training used?"

"Yes."

"Because it would seem like she's making a 'kill count'- you know how that sounds, right?"

"It is her job to annotate her actions while in the field." Ed explained, "That is how those transcripts get made. That is why they are as factual as possible."

"Thank you, Ed." The inspector said.

"We finished?" Ed asked.

"No- two more questions. What was your frame of mind when you started your shift today?"  
>"Why do you ask?"<p>

"Because in his shift journal, your Sargent noted that you appeared to be frustrated. Problems in the home life?"

"My son came home last week with bruises on his stomach, and his shirt and pants ripped. When I asked him about it, he got mad at me, and swore."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Now my second question- do you think that the drugs that Megan Perrasmith is being prescribed as part of her emotional therapy was a factor in today's shooting?"

"No."

* * *

><p>Megan sat alone in the conference room, other than the officer who stood guard over her.<p>

"Long day?" she asked him.

"No talking." He said, as a knock came at the door.

He opened the door, and went into the hall. He wasn't out there long as he came back in.

"Megan- you're last. I'll walk you up."

Megan got up and went out the open door and walked down the hallway to the stairs which would lead her to the debriefing room. She looked back and realized that the officer was having a hard time keeping up with her.

"I know the way." She said, as she continued going.

* * *

><p>Megan sat down across the table. In front of her were several files filed with papers, a small speaker attached to the external hard-drive that the transcript was saved to, along with several more papers with hand written notes on them.<p>

Across from her, a man was sitting down, but behind him, was a taller, blonde woman.

"I'll take it, Blair." the woman said, as she sent the man out of the room, and sat down in his place.

Using the remote in her hand, she closed the doors to the room.

"Hi, Megan, my name is Jenna Preiur."

"Ok."

"I knew your dad."

Megan looked exasperated, "Of course you did."

"What do you mean?" Jenna asked.

"Everybody knows my dad, ok? And every time anybody mentions my dad, it just reminds me that he's gone. Can we get this over with?"

"Sure," she said, as she leaned in and turned on the recorder, "Tell me what happened-"

"_Another suspect down." Megan radioed in, "Two to go."_

"_Please be careful." Greg commented._

"_Noted boss." Ed said, as they continued on._

"_Ed- I just tapped into the CCTV," Spike relayed, "Two shooters- close to you- take your next right, and through the doors- they're right there in the hall. Looks like they have a student and maybe a parent or a teacher hostage, lying on the ground."_

"_Let us know if their position changes Spike." Ed said, as he followed Spike's directions to the door in question, "Megan, I will open the door. You'll enter and neutralize one shooter, I'll be right behind you, and I'll neutralize the other."_

_Megan nodded._

_Suddenly, Ed opened the door. Megan entered the hallway and yelled out, "Stay on the ground" to the hostages, as she shot the one suspect. Behind her Ed entered the shot the other._

_Megan immediately lowered her firearm, and let the sling hold it to her vest, as she approached the young girl, probably about ten years of age._

"_It's ok." Megan said softly, "You don't have to be afraid."_

_Megan removed her glove to touch the girl's skin, but found the skin to be cold._

_She turned the girl over to her back, to find her lifeless, with a bullet hole in her chest._

_She sunk down to the ground, beside the lifeless girl, as she started to cry._

"_We're too late. They're dead."_

_Ed nodded, as he tried to get a read on the pulse of the older woman._

"_Four suspects down, two civilians down- incident contained. Boss, let the EMTs in to cover up the bodies."_

"You became emotional." Jenna said into the microphone, "You reacted."

"Am I not supposed to?" Megan asked, with red eyes, on the verge of beginning to cry, "Am I not supposed to feel sorrow for the lives of the people I couldn't save?"

"Is this job too much for you? Should you be transferred?"

"This job is all I have." Megan explained to the inspector, "This is the job my dad wanted me to have. I was a month into my first semester of Police Foundations, and I became an Officer In Training in the SRU. All I need is 7 more months of training, and I can challenge the entry exams and be a full-fledged SRU Officer. If I do that, I'll be the youngest SRU Officer in the history of the TPS SRU."

"According to your therapist's notes and records, you're prescribed with anti-depressants and sleeping pills, am I correct?"

"Yes."

"Do you think that your judgement was compromised today because of the medications that Dr. Laura Green has given you?"

"No…I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"I haven't been taking the anti-depressants."

"But according to the records, you've filled the prescription three times."

"I'm flushing them."

"Why?" Jenna asked, "Your therapist told you that they would help you."

"She also told me that if they prove effective, and that it affects my job, I'll be removed from service. This job- it's all I am."

"You're afraid that if you take them…" Jenna started

"…they'll prove effective and affect my job. Yeah." Megan finished.

"Well, Mrs. Perrasmith," Jenna said, "I can tell that your medications did not affect your job here today. You were effective in entering the building, assisting with the profiling of the suspects, and neutralizing the threat. I am under no legal authority to tell your therapist that you haven't been taking your medications."

Again, she leaned in and turned off the microphone.

"Your dad- I worked with him on the Brockville Police Force. I had lost my grandfather and I was taking it pretty hard. Your dad made sure I got the assistance I needed. Believe me- the anti-depressants will help."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Coming up on the last three- you guys excited- 'cause I am! Ok, so maybe I shouldn't be so excited to see things **_**go,**_** but I like I said before I think my fans- diehard (zombiegirl…) and regular will be extremely thrilled****.**


	47. In The Water I Am Beautiful

Megan breathed hard.

She looked down at the display panel.

_Only a half hour left._

She was on the new treadmill that she got and put in the lower part of the new addition. Ideally, however, she wanted to be upstairs on the stationary bike, but her mom was napping so that ruled that out.

_Mom's been napping a lost lately, hasn't she? True- she has. Childbearing must be exhausting- which is why I'm never having kids. Now maybe I'll adopt a cute baby someday, when I have my own place, and maybe a significant other, but that's for future Megan to worry about. Present Megan needs to worry about the next half hour of cardio._

_I mean- who would want to give birth? I went to the classes with mom, and the videos that they showed- oh my god, that's something I'll never do. Yup- let some guy knock up another girl by mistake and she'll give the kid up for adoption._

_And the naps- well, I think they're helping with her overall health and with the baby, but it's not helping with the sleep talking. I mean, the other night- yet again, talking with dad, about names for the baby. _

_It's almost like her mind still thinks that he's still sleeping beside her…._

_And that SIU chick- Jamie, Jordon, Jenna- whatever her name was, she was right. Taking the anti-depressants is helping. I'm just hoping it isn't helping too much though._

_Because SRU, this job- it really is all I have. I can't do anything else, without going back to school._

_Would I want to do anything else? Well, I've kinda considered it. When I was looking through that Career Minds magazine the other day, it was profiling the Medical Laboratory Technician. I could do that. Pretty much all it is, is taking blood and other bodily fluids, putting them into syringes and test tubes, and making sure they get to the right place. Easy peasy- I could do that job now, as it is._

_And even then, it's not like my work in SRU means nothing, I mean, when I was at Ed's the other day, Clark told me he's been having a hard time finding a job because everyone wants him to have experience. Why didn't I ask him what kind of job he wants? I know a few people, I could've put in a good word._

_Oh well, let Ed crack that nut._

* * *

><p>After she was finished her cardio, Megan went back upstairs, still wanting to work on the bike, but Jules was still sleeping.<p>

_Oh my god! How can you be sleeping so much? Jeez mom._

_Alright, fine. I guess I'll go downstairs and finish up cleaning the kitchen._

_Yeah, what a number those dorks did in the kitchen. We invite Ed, Greg, and Spike over for a grand opening of the addition, and they pretty much left all their junk in the kitchen._

_I feel bad for Sophie who has to clean up after Ed. What about Greg? Well, I suppose Dean probably helps him out with stuff when he's home on the weekends from university. What's he taking again- Criminology? Something like that- I'll have to ask him next time I see him._

_I suppose I could text him and ask. But what kind of message would that send? Hmm- let's see here: I text a guy who I've met once and exchanged cell numbers with and ask him what university program he's in? Why don't I just text him that I'm sexually available, because that's how he's going to interpret it._

_Men. Why are men so horny for sex? I have no clue, but then again, am I expected to? First of all, I'm a woman, so I shouldn't have to know what goes on in the minds of men, and secondly…I've never had sex. Sure, I've sort've…well…it felt good- but why should men get all the credit if I can do it myself?_

_Focus Megan, focus. Stop thinking about sex, and clean up this broken plate. What was Spike thinking?- ceramic plates don't fly._

* * *

><p><em>Alright- cardio is done, and the kitchen is cleaned up- finally.<em>

_Hmm- what to do?_

_I suppose I could…yeah, I think I will._

Megan walked down into the basement, and into the small workshop that her father built before he died.

_Dad's workshop- why exactly did he build this again? Oh I remember, Jules didn't want him putting all the important tools in the garage, so she had him build a workshop in the basement to put most of the tools in._

_It's not so much a workshop anymore. It's more like a shrine in ode to dad. We hung the pictures from the funeral home on the wall, got his policing awards framed and put on the wall._

_Badge of Recognition- this badge proclaims the excellent service record of Kristopher Allison Perrasmith as a part of the Brockville Police Force in the position of Staff Sargent._

_Governor General of Canada Award- This article hereby proclaims the highest available award in the fields of enforcement and policing in the country of Canada was awarded to Kristopher Allison Perrasmith, Staff Sargent of the Brockville Police Force for the act of extreme generosity and kindness in regards to the lives of Jennifer Samler and her daughter, Stephanie Samler, who Mr. Perrasmith saved in a severe car crash during his off-duty time._

_Wow- how come I never read these before?_

_Star of Saint Peter- Honorary Military Medal._

_Wait- dad got a military medal? I should definitely read this one._

_Awarded to Kristopher Allison Perrasmith, in thanks for the lives saved, and the lives honored by the four generations of the military service men from the Perrasmith family. These men are- Lt. Jacob Perrasmith, . Kevin Ann Perrasmith, C.C. Allison Perrasmith and Lt. Mj. Donald Fortier Perrasmith._

Megan's eyes darted over to a framed lighthouse medal and continued to read.

_Excellent Service Medal, First Class, Team Leader & Sargent of the Royal Light-keepers LMQ Security Squad._

Then her eyes rested on the final one. Its frame was new, and you could almost tell that it was recent.

_The Star of David- Awarded to the late Kristopher Allison Perrasmith for his service within the Toronto Police Service and the Toronto Police Service Strategic Response Unit, who gave the ultimate sacrifice to protect the integrity of the peace that his fellow officers fight to preserve._

_Wow._

* * *

><p>Megan couldn't read anymore. She bounded up the stairs, and right up the second flight to the second floor. She no longer cared about being quiet anymore for her mother.<p>

She opened the door to her bedroom and fell into her bed, with tears in her eyes.

_My dad was a great guy…why? Why was he just ripped from this world? Why?_

She looked up at the clock and realized she had to start getting ready for work.

She gained the confidence to get up and take a shower.

_I am in the water._

Once she stepped out and dried herself off, she looked into the mirror, as she pulled on her muscle mapping undershirt.

_I am beautiful._

_I will go to work. At work I will protect the peace. I will protect the peace that my father and my fore father's worked and fought to protect._

_I am Megan Perrasmith, and I will not back down._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I honestly love this chapter. I'd have to say it's the best thing I've written to date. Agree, disagree? Let me know- write a review! Also- before I go publishing this- those awards and medals- I made them up. They may be similar to real awards and medals for police officers, but I repeat- I made them up.**


	48. Contractions Part One

"C'mon team, we need to find out where she is!" Greg yelled, "Work faster."

"We're working as fast as we can boss!" Spike yelled back, as rolled over to look over Megan's screen, "Nothing strange in the last 12 hours of text messages?"

"Nothing yet." Megan said, "I'll expand to the last 24 hours."

"Good job Megan." Spike said, "Good thinking. We need to put an APB out on her car- anyone know her details?"

"It's in her HR file, I'll go grab it." Ed said, as he prepared himself to run to Human Resources.

"No, you won't, Eddie," Greg said, pulling rank, "I'll go get it- they won't give you access."

"What do you want me to do?" Ed asked.

"Either stand there and look bald, or look into her home phone records, look for repeat callers and send a unit to go sit on her front lawn!" Spike directed.

Megan worked in a frenzied pace. It didn't help that her phone was vibrating too.

_Thankfully, I have my Bluetooth headset still on._

It went to voicemail, and it read it back live on the headset.

"Megan- are you…where are you? I need…help…the baby's coming…"

* * *

><p>"Megan!" Jules yelled out from her bed, "Megan!"<p>

Megan opened the bedroom door and turned on the light, "Mom what do you want?"

"I don't feel good. It's like something's happening…"

Megan kneeled down in front of her mom and held one of her hands.

_Just like her father did, _Jules thought.

"Mom- everything is going to be fine, ok? I'm getting ready for work, ok? If you need me, just call my cell."

"What if I…"

"Mom- if you need me, call me."

"But Ed and Greg-"

"They've been through this before, and they know that you're at the stage where you might need help with a few things, and that things can happen unexpectedly, ok?"

"Ok." Jules said, as Megan started to leave the room, "Turn the light off, and make me proud!"

* * *

><p>"Yeah, well, I know, that's what I told him mom." Winnie talked into her phone as she walked down the street, "Yeah. Ok- look I gotta go, ok? Yeah, ok, talk to you later."<p>

She looked down at a piece of paper with her own writing on it, and looked up at the address on the house.

She walked up the walkway and pounded on the door, "Jeese! Come on, we can work things out."

"Go away." Came a male's voice.

"Jesse…"Winnie started but stopped herself.

Did she really want to start confessing to a door?

Then a car screeched to a halt in front of the door. Two masked men came out and ran towards Winnie and grabbed her, and started taking her back to their car.

"Jesse- help! Help me! Jesse!" Winnie screamed, hoping that he'd forgive her and come out to find her being dragged off by masked men.

But he never came.

* * *

><p>"Alright, Team One, let's look alive." Greg said, as he entered the gym and started working out with Spike, Ed and Megan.<p>

"Boss, its 9am." Spike pointed out, "If I don't look alive, then I'm a zombie."

Over at the bench press, Megan was pressing weights, with Ed as her spotter.

"Yeah, that's a Perrasmith right there." He said, as he helped Megan put the 200 pound weight back on its cradle. "I don't think your mom ever pressed that much before."

"My dad?" Megan asked.

"He was a show-off, he bet me once that he couldn't press 340, and he did."

"Did you pay up?"

"Of course I did- what kind of man do you think I am?" Ed asked, as they switched spots, as Ed pressed the weights, and Megan as his spotter.

Kiera walked into the gym. This time Megan noted that she didn't check her out.

_Good._

"Hey guys, have you seen Winnie?" she asked.

"No." Spike answered, "What's up?"

"Her shift started ten minutes ago, she isn't here yet."

"So?" Ed asked, as he sat up and stretched his arms, "People are late sometimes, suck it up princess."

"How long should I give her?"

"If she isn't here in an hour," Greg offered, "Let me know."

* * *

><p>Jules finally gave up on sleep and got up. Once she was up, she looked at her belly in the mirror and smiled. She was going to be a mother.<p>

_Well, I am a mother. _ She reasoned.

With a bit a difficulty, and a firm grip on the railing, she made it downstairs and into the kitchen to find that Megan had started her breakfast for her.

_My favorite- sesame seed bagel, let's pop that in the toaster. Half an orange- doctor doesn't want me having more than half because the citrus acid gives me acid reflux, already peeled for me by Megan, how thoughtful. And to top it off, a glass of the disgustingly good smoothie that Megan made a pitcher of and put in the fridge. That girl, doing all of this for me before going into work- what a trooper._

* * *

><p>"The email!" the man yelled at Winnie.<p>

They had put her in the car, bound and gagged in the back seat. They started driving and ended up outside another house.

_The house that they're stealing the wireless internet from, _Winnie thought.

They untied her hands, and had a laptop in front of her, with a new email page on the screen. They were demanding that she type in the SRU email address for Spike Scarlatti.

"Let me put it another way," the other masked man said, as he pulled out a handgun and slid the slide back, racking a bullet into the action, "After we pop you, we'll pop your friend Jesse as well."

Not wanting her boyfriend, or ex-boyfriend, depending on how things went, to get hurt, Winnie nodded.

"Good."

* * *

><p>"A little more to the left guys." Megan directed.<p>

Ed and Spike were moving some new furniture into the debriefing room.

"Ed- you see how high, I'm lifting this?" Spike pointed out, "It'd be nice if you could match it."

"That's because you have the girl's end, Spike." Ed snapped back.

"Can we stop the pedantic bickering?" Megan asked.

"Yeah, yeah," Spike said, "We almost there?"

"Almost there Spike."

Once the new metal framed, leather cushioned couch was in the debriefing room and set down in its resting spot, opposite of the projector screen Spike sighed loudly and proceeded to lay down on it.

"I'm tired." Spike stated.

"I'm Megan, hello Tired." Megan replied, as she sat down at the table and continued typing on the laptop computer.

"What are you working on?" Spike asked her.

"The commander wanted me to work on a paper studying the decline in young age enrollment in tactical police and military units and the impact it has on the police and military associations."

"Something only a Textbook could do." Spike replied, with a laugh.

Suddenly, Ed and Greg came in. Greg carried a larger laptop, while Ed plugged in the charger & internet cords.

"Where'd you get that?" Spike asked, "2007?"

"It's been over an hour, and Winnie still isn't in." Greg said, "Do your thing Spike."

Spike got up and sat in front of the computer. "What exactly are we looking for?"

"Look into her calendars, and see if she forgot to mention an appointment or something."

"Who's on dispatch?" Megan asked, looking up from her computer.

"I called in Marcus. He wasn't happy about it, since he's been working with the RCMP dispatch for the past few months. Let's get Winnie in, ok?"

Spike nodded, as he went to work.

* * *

><p>After she had her breakfast, Jules started to clean up, but her stomach and gut started to hurt, so she just put her dishes in the sink, awaiting Megan to come home and clean them.<p>

_She does a lot for me. I should thank her somehow. What could I do?_

But the thinking was short lived, as the pain came on stronger, and Jules had to take a chair.

* * *

><p>After the men sent the email, they tied Winnie back up and continued driving.<p>

"Why we taking the Jean d'Arc?" the one man asked the other.

"It's faster."

"It's too close."

The driver of the vehicle came to a sudden stop and pulled out his gun and pointed it at the other man.

"Look- my plan, my idea, my rules- got it?"

* * *

><p>"Anything?" Ed asked, as Spike finished some typing.<p>

"Not yet."

"It's been five minutes Spike, what have you been doing?"

"It's an old computer, it took forever to boot up. And I was checking my email."

"Seriously?" Ed asked.

"Yeah, c'mon, its Winnie, she wouldn't be doing nothing stupid. Just going to check my email, ok?"

Spike looked down to the screen. "But this is interesting."

"What?" Greg asked.

"This email. Unknown sender."

"Click it."

"And get a virus?" Spike answered, "As much as I'd like to know who it is, I'm not going to expose SRU equipment to potential viruses."

Greg grabbed the mouse and clicked it for him.

"Whoa…guy's you should see this."

Ed and Megan came to look at the screen with Spike and Greg.

In the email, there was a picture of Winnie tied up in the backseat of a car. Below it, it said, 'We got her, and if you want her back alive, drop $500,000 at the Markham RT Station.'

"We need to get tracking…" Greg started.

Spike immediately got up and started for the dispatcher's desk, "Can't do it on that computer, have to do it here. Marcus, you mind?"

"Not at all." The male dispatcher replied, as he got up, "I wanted to grab a smoke anyways."

"What do you want me to do Spike?" Megan asked.

"Check into her cellphone, text messages specifically."

"Copy that."

"I'm going to try to track that email using the SRU server as a…"

"Spike, you had me at 'track', let's do it." Greg understood.

* * *

><p>Winnie noticed that they had drove into Scarborough and were waiting in a parking lot outside the Markham Rapid Transit station.<p>

_If I could somehow manage to loosen the rope on my wrists, I could easily grab one of their guns. _

She started to struggle against her wrist bonds, but not enough so that they would notice.

"They going to come or what?" the driver asked the other guy.

"Yeah. They'll probably send an undercover unit to drop the cash. That's why we have this."

The man opened a backpack and removed a large item.

_A scanner. _Winnie thought to herself, understanding what it meant, _They'll__ hear any chatter from dispatch. And that antenna, that's to intercept short wave __frequencies….they__ will be able to hear the SRU headsets…_

* * *

><p>Jules was bent over in pain in the chair that she sat in. It was too much. She tried to go for the phone, but when she tried to stand up, she felt some sort of warm fluid running down her leg.<p>

With tears in her eyes, she started to go through things in her head.

_What did I do to deserve this? I married the perfect guy and he's gone. I'm carrying his child. What did I do?_

She grabbed for her cellphone, which she was lucky that she had found in her pocket and dialed Megan's number.

It rang and rang, and finally went to voicemail.

"Hi, this is Megan, you know what to do."

"Megan- are you…where are you? I need…help…the baby's coming…"

* * *

><p>"C'mon team, we need to find out where she is!" Greg yelled, as he curled his fingers into his palm, as if to punch something, "Work faster."<p>

"We're working as fast as we can boss!" Spike yelled back, as rolled over to look over Megan's screen, "Nothing strange in the last 12 hours of text messages?"

"Nothing yet." Megan said, "I'll expand to the last 24 hours."

"Good job Megan." Spike said, "Good thinking. We need to put an APB out on her car- anyone know her details?"

"It's in her HR file, I'll go grab it." Ed said, as he went around the dispatcher's desk.

"No, you won't, Eddie," Greg said, pulling rank, "I'll go get it- they won't give you access."

Greg left in search of Winnie's HR file.

"What do you want me to do?" Ed asked.

"Either stand there and look bald, or look into her home phone records, look for repeat callers and send a unit to go sit on her front lawn!" Spike directed.

Megan worked in a frenzied pace. It didn't help that her phone was vibrating too.

She heard the message her mom left.

_Mom? Oh god._

Without taking her eyes off of her work, Megan's mind began racing with the thoughts of her mother in severe pain, curled up on the floor, calling for a man who would never again come to her aid.

"I'm coming mom, hold on." She muttered.

* * *

><p>Greg came back with the file.<p>

"Grey Ford Focus, license Alpha Bravo Tango Charlie, Nine Eight Seven." Greg spoke as he opened the file.

"APB online." Spike said, "We need to start working on the money drop."

"Alright," Greg said, "Ed, call down to evidence, and have them bring the cash up in traceable 100s and 50s. Megan, Spike, let's suit up and go."

Megan followed Greg to the equipment cage, as Spike stayed behind to quickly check a few more things on the computers.

Once at the equipment cage, they started putting on their vests and other equipment. Before Megan turned on her radio, she said to Greg, "Mom's in labour."

Greg looked up from adjusting the drop holster.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, she left a message on my phone. Only reason I heard it was because I had my Bluetooth still hooked up."

"Let's finish this up, and get you to the hospital to see your sister be born."

* * *

><p>After Jules hung up from leaving the message on Megan's phone she immediately then dialed 911.<p>

"911, what is your emergency?"

"My name is Julianna Perrasmith, officer number 7031 with the Strategic Response Unit. I'm in pain...I think my baby is coming."

"Ma'am, what is your address?" the operator asked.

"17452 Alexis Street." Jules replied, suppressing her need to cry out in pain, "I need an ambulance."

"I'm sending one right away Officer." The operator said, "Please stay on the line with me."

Jules understood. "Ok."

* * *

><p>"Plan?" Greg asked Ed, who was suited up in civilian clothes to do the money drop.<p>

Megan had the layout of the buildings and the parking lot on a tablet on the hood of the SRU SUV, "We have to assume they have more than one guy, because they didn't say where to drop the cash, just told us to drop it. Ed will walk along the front of the building and identify any possible targets before dropping the cash. Then me and Spike, will be sweeping the parking lot looking for suspicious vehicles, with the help of the TTC Parking Crew. Spike?"

"The TTC crew has identified three possible suspicious vehicles."

"Alright, we'll clear those first." Megan agreed, "And boss, if you want to set up a Sierra shot here, you can cover not only Ed, but us as well."

"That's a good tactical plan Megan." Ed praised, "Good work."

"Let's keep the peace." Megan stated, as they broke off to start their work.

* * *

><p>Winnie noticed the two SRU trucks enter the parking lot, and had noted that her captors didn't notice them.<p>

_Good._

She also deduced that the knots in the rope were too tight for her to untie herself.

"See anything?" the driver asked his accomplice.

"The bald guy," he said, as he pointed to him, "He' walking up and down the building, could be him."

"Watch him." The driver said, as he looked down to the scanner, "That thing even on?"

"Yeah."

"Then why haven't we heard anything?"

"I don't know."

The man started to look over the equipment, taking his eyes off of Ed.

* * *

><p>"I got an idea." Spike said, as he followed Megan.<p>

"Great Spike, what is it?"

"I'll email the sender of the email. When the email is open, it'll provide a window of opportunity to track his signal so I can triangulate it."

"Ok." Megan said, "First vehicle clear."

"Copy that," Ed replied, "Nothing suspicious- start the drop?"

"Not yet," Megan responded, "Spike's sending a tracking signal via email so he can triangulate its signal."

* * *

><p>The driver of the vehicle heard an alert on the computer.<p>

"An email." He said, as he opened the laptop and opened the email inbox, "From Spike Scarlatti- wonder what he wants. Stop fidgeting with that thing, ok?"

The man beside him flipped the scanner over.

"The email says," the driver spoke, " 'Look down.' What the hell does that mean?"

"Dude…"

"What?"

"The scanner, it needed batteries."

Suddenly the back window smashed open, spreading shards of glass everywhere. Right after the glass landed, a device that was spreading smoke was thrown into the vehicle.

"With your hands where I can see them, slowly leave the vehicle!" came an angry female voice.

"You idiot." The driver said, as they both complied and left the vehicle.

* * *

><p>"Two suspects, in custody." Megan said, as she clamped the handcuffs onto the second man, and leaned him up against the vehicle, "Spike, Winnie in there?"<p>

Spike open the rear door, which let a lot of smoke out, as he was able to make out Winnie's figure.

"Hostage secured!"

It didn't take long for two cruisers to come to pick up the suspects to lock-up.

"Team One, hot call!" Marcus said over the headsets, "Suicidal woman on the bridge on Tyotown Avenue."

Spike climbed into the truck with Ed, as Megan rode shotgun with Greg.

"Eddie, I have to drop by SRU for something quick," Greg informed over the radio, "You and Spike report to the scene, secure it and start negotiations."

"Copy that."

"What do you have to get?" Megan asked.

"I have to drop you off." Greg insisted, "Go to the hospital. Don't worry about changing, just go right there ok? You should be with your mom. She's going to be in a lot of pain. It's unusual for a baby to come this early in the pregnancy. She may need a C-Section."

"Ok."

* * *

><p>Greg dropped Megan off in the SRU Parking lot.<p>

Megan immediately jumped into her truck and took off.

Once on the road, she realized she didn't know what hospital she would be at.

_Toronto General, it's the closest one to home, and its where mom's OB/GYN is, so it makes sense._

At the hospital, Megan proceeded to enter the park and pay lot, but when she saw a parking spot near the entrance marked 'Emergency Police Vehicles Only', she veered the truck over there.

Once she got out, she looked around. When she turned around to enter, she found a security guard in her face.

"Thank god you're here so fast," he said, "We need your help."

Without thinking, she obliged and followed the guard into the security office.

"Jack- the police are here. You don't need to call 911." The guard said to his co-worker.

"What's going on?" Megan asked, getting uncomfortable.

"Armed man in the emergency room."

Megan's hand immediately went to her holster, to make sure her sidearm was there.

_Phew, it is._

Then her hand went to her radio cradle on her belt.

_Damn- I left that in the truck._

"Alright, let's go." The guard said, "We need to deal with this ASAP."


	49. Contractions Part Two

**A/N: I felt like I should do a "previously on" so here it is:**

**After Winnie is rescued from a violent kidnapping, and she believes she knows who orchestrated the kidnapping and decides to take matters into her own hands. Meanwhile Team One responds to a particularly disturbing suicide intervention, which makes Ed rethink a recent decision he had made. While on her way to meet her mom, who is in severe pain, Megan gets side tracked and must talk down a violent individual without any help or assistance.**

**Sounds like fun, doesn't it?**

* * *

><p>The Security guard brought Megan to the emergency room, where a man held a 12 gauge shotgun.<p>

"Stay back." She said to the guard, as she took cover behind a semi-transparent wall, "Sir, my name is Megan Perrasmith, and I'm with the Strategic Response Unit- mind telling me what's going on here?"

"Isn't that just great, eh?" he yelled, "Your team is searching for my records and has a sniper on me, eh? I saw what happened at First York Plaza a few years ago."

"That's right." Megan lied, "You know a lot about us then. Why don't we cut to the chase, and save us the trouble and tell us who you are and what you want?"

"But no one is listening to me!"

"I'm listening to you sir, and you have my full attention."

* * *

><p>A cruiser drove Winnie back to her home. On the drive back Winnie was deep in thought.<p>

_I wonder who thought 'hey, let's kidnap a police dispatcher and demand a half million dollars. It worked on Dog Day Afternoon, did it not?' Yeah, right. Why email Spike though? Why kidnap me? There has to be easier people to extort for money. And why Spike?_

"We're here." The officer said, "You should try to rest Miss- you've had an exciting day, from what I hear."

Winnie got out and the cruiser left.

_He's the only person I can think of…_

Winnie entered her house, and immediately went upstairs to her bedroom. Once there, she opened her closet door, and keyed in the lock combination to a small safe that was bolted to the shelf and wall.

Once the door opened, she grabbed a small handgun and its magazine beside it.

In one motion, she slipped the magazine in and racked a bullet into the chamber, ready to fire.

* * *

><p>"Ma'am, is there anybody we should contact?" a nurse asked Jules, as she was carted into a private room, "Husband- anybody?"<p>

"My daughter….but she's at work…ahhhhhh!" Jules cried out in pain, "My baby…"

Another nurse came in with an IV drip machine and a bag of medications, "We're going to start you on a heavy IV drip of magnesium, ok Mrs. Perrasmith?" the nurse explained, "It's going to counteract any negative effects you've been feeling. I've contacted your OB/GYN. She's seeing a few patients right now, but she'll be up as soon as possible. Once she's here she's going to do a pelvic exam."

"How is my…" Jules started.

"The doctor on staff, Doctor Joanne Tate is going to come in and perform an ultrasound to check on your baby, make sure everything is ok."

* * *

><p>"My name- you wanted my name, right?" the man asked Megan.<p>

"Yes." Came her response.

"I'm surprised you don't have it yet- it's James. James Hunter."

"Thank you James. Why don't you tell me why I'm here?"

That was a lie, and Megan knew it. _How long can I keep lying to him? Rule number one of engagement- do __not lie. I know why I'm here- and it's not to see him, it's to see my mom, who is probably in pain._

"All I want is someone to listen…to understand that I'm pissed off! Pissed off because…"

"What?" Megan asked aloud, as a nurse passed her the files on James Hunter, "Why are you pissed off James?"

"My wife- four weeks ago, she had a heart attack. I called 911, and started CPR, mouth to mouth you know? The ambulance came and took her to the hospital. By the time they got here- she was dead."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Megan said, working a new angle in the negotiations, "It hurts to see someone pass on."

"That's not the worst part. The worst part is, I get a bill today, saying I have to pay for the ambulance ride. I have to pay! I have to pay for the negligence and recklessness of the EMTs who failed to keep my wife alive! And I'm expected to pay?"

Megan chanced a look around the corner to James Hunter. He had the shotgun pointed in her general direction.

"Why don't you come out where I can see you, coward?" he continued, "Don't worry, I'm sure your sniper will kill me before there's any real threat to you."

* * *

><p>Ed and Spike responded to the suicide intervention call. Spike secured the scene, while Ed started engaging the woman in suicide intervention.<p>

"Hey, my name is Ed Lane, and I work with the Strategic Response Unit. I'm here to help you, ok?"

"Right," the woman said, without looking back to Ed, "That's what the other officer said a few weeks ago."

"What are you talking about?" Ed asked.

The woman turned her head to see Ed. "You…" she said, "It's your fault!"

Ed recognized the woman too. From an attempted rape a few weeks ago- Ed had made the decision to go less lethal on the suspect, rather than lethal, which Megan and him had discussed.

"_Why didn't you go lethal?" Megan asked._

"_It was a decision that I made." Ed replied._

"_So is that the decisions you make when women are being violated?" Megan asked, "Because he's going to spend a year in prison because it was only attempted rape. Then he's going to be on the National_

_Sexual Offenders list, but as soon as he does a Sexual Rehabilitation course, he'll be removed from the NSO. What's to stop him from trying it again once that's all over?"_

Ed remembered her name.

"Why do you want to kill yourself today Susan?"

"He'll get out, and he'll try to do it again. There's only one way to stop it."

"Susan- this isn't the way to stop it." Ed argued, "There are other ways. You could testify to his Corrections Officer, and maybe the court will lengthen his sentence. If he gets out, and you think he's going to try it again, you can get a restraining order. Everything is better than this Susan."

"No- this is the only way."

* * *

><p>The doctor came in and started the ultrasound.<p>

"I'm sorry about the delay, Mrs. Perrasmith. There's a minor security incident in the ER."

Jules looked concerned, "What?"

"It is nothing to worry about dear, there is a police officer and she's…."

"What?" Jules asked, as she tried to look at the monitor.

The doctor pulled a stool over and sat beside Jules. "Mrs. Perrasmith, I have some news based on the results of the ultrasound."

"What is it? Is there something wrong?"

"Mrs. Perrasmith, you need to prepare yourself, because in all likelihood, you may have to give birth today."

"But, she's under-developed, would she…?"

"Don't worry." The doctor said, as she picked up the clipboard, "I'm ordering another IV drug which will help with the pain, but hopefully will also prevent the possibility of your daughter being born today."

* * *

><p>Winnie got into her car and drove. She drove to the same place that she was going when she was kidnapped.<p>

She got out of the car and approached the door. Before she knocked, she ensured that the gun was within easy reach.

After knocking, a man, with her same complexion and height, but with short buzz cut hair answered.

"Winnie…" he said, "Why are you here?"

Winnie drew out the gun, "Don't even! Don't even try to pretend like you care! Get inside Jesse, get inside the house!"

Jesse backed into the house. Winnie followed and shut the door behind her.

"What's this all about WinWin?" Jesse asked her, using her nickname.

"Don't play dumb Jesse." Winnie said, as she gained confidence and pointed the gun at him.

* * *

><p>"Come on out-coward!" James Hunter jeered at Megan, "Why don't you come out, eh?"<p>

Megan understood the situation. She couldn't expose herself, especially when she had no backup, and no way of contacting anyone for assistance.

"I can't do that James." Megan informed him, "So this is about your wife. You don't want to pay for her final bills. Everyone copes in their own way James, but taking a gun into a hospital, that's a bit extreme, even for you, right?"

"You don't know me!"

"I know enough about you." Megan said, "Your gun, 24 inch fluted barrel, covered in a Duckblind camo. You're also wearing a camo coat in the same type of camo. I'm going to venture a guess that you're a duck hunter, right, and that you've done it for a while, because that Winchester, it has to be at least 30 years old."

"That's right." James said, "You know guns?"

"Yeah, I do. My dad taught me a lot about guns growing up- the safe operation and everything. I'm sure you know all about that, right?"

"Yeah."

"So why don't you lower the gun a bit, because, the way I'm seeing things, your sight is aimed right at that wall over there, and something tells me you don't intend to shoot that wall."

James lowered the gun.

"Thank you James, I appreciate it." Megan said, "Why don't you tell me why you're really here today? Does it have anything to do with the coroner's report? Did you know that the coroner reported that your wife died due to cardiac pressure, and they believe that the pressure was put on by the person who performed CPR?"

"Shut up, and come out, coward."

"I can't do that."

"Yes you can!" he screamed.

"James," Megan started, "Why don't I tell you why I think you're here? I think you're here because you believe what the coroner found and you want to absolve yourself by being shot here today. Right?"

"That's not it." James muttered.

Megan stayed crouched down, but her right hand dropped down and grasped the grip on her sidearm, as she slowly pulled it out.

* * *

><p>"Susan- this is not the way!" Ed yelled at her.<p>

"Yes it is!" she screamed back, "I kill myself, and then he can never touch me again."

"And what's to stop him from touching someone else?" Ed asked, "Eh? You jump, you die. He gets out and he goes after someone else- another innocent person. Only that time- he might finish it. Why don't you come down? We can make sure he doesn't come after you again, and you can make sure he sees justice- isn't that fair?"

"No!" Susan yelled, as she edged closer, "All my life, I've followed the decisions made by other people! This is my decision, to protect myself. I don't care about other people; I just want to make sure he can never touch me again!'

Ed edged closer to her.

"Don't come any closer, or I'll jump!"

* * *

><p>Winnie kept the gun pointed at Jesse.<p>

"What's going on Win-"

"Don't even!" Winnie yelled him, stopping him from calling her by the nickname, "Don't."

"I'm just trying to understand." Jesse replied.

"Understand this! I come home, every night, and I just want to talk about my day. But you didn't want to talk, so you just stay at your place. Its starts pissing you off so much, that you consider breaking up with me. But then you remember- 'I'm nothing without her'. That's when you cooked up the idea of having me kidnapped and asking for a half a million!"

"What are you saying?" Jesse asked, "Are you hearing yourself?"

"In the Strategic Response Unit, we're trained to shoot to kill. A lot of people think that it's just the officers of the teams who get trained, but the dispatchers get trained to. We're trained to shoot people, Jesse. You want to know how that feels?"

"No, I don't."

"Then admit it! Admit you hired a pair of thugs to kidnap me and ask for a half million dollars."

Jesse took a step back.

"Ok- I hired Randy and Cody to take you, rough you up. But I didn't ask for a half a million dollars Winnie."

"Put your hands on your head!" Winnie yelled, as she came closer, and dug out a pair of handcuffs from her purse. "Do not move!"

* * *

><p>Megan gained confidence as she drew out her sidearm. In one movement, she darted out behind her cover, and stood up, with the full sized pistol trained on James Hunter.<p>

"You're not going to shoot me James." Megan reasoned, "You know why? Because you are a good person who bad things have happened to. You haven't shot anyone today, and you don't have to. You want to see justice? Take a civil suit to the EMT association."

James teared up, as he handed Megan the gun, "I don't want to kill anyone."

"Put your hands on your head, slowly, and do not move." Megan said, as she carefully put the shotgun on the floor and continue approaching James.

Once she was close enough, she grabbed a pair of handcuffs and cuffed him.

"James Hunter, you're under arrest for public endangerment, and the improper use of a sporting firearm. Anything you say or do can be used against you in a court of law. Do you understand?"

* * *

><p>Finally, Jules' OBGYN came and did the pelvic exam. Once she was completed, she went out in the hallway and had a discussion with the doctor on duty. Jules could see them. It seemed at first the OB was arguing, but then was agreeing with the doctor. Now she was signing some forms that the doctor gave her.

Together the OB/GYN and the doctor entered.

"Mrs. Perrasmith-" the doctor said, "Your baby is having difficulty breathing, which is causing her to be in distress. We need to perform an emergency C-section. Once your child is out of the womb, we can start giving her direct medications, and if we have to, microscopic surgeries to repair the under-developed lungs."

Jules looked to her OB/GYN.

"I'll be there the whole time." She said to Jules, "To assist in the surgery."

"Ok." Jules said, "Where's my daughter? She should be here by now."

"I don't know Mrs. Perrasmith, what's her name?" the doctor asked.

"Megan. Megan Perrasmith."

"Ok, we'll see if we can track her down. In the meantime, we have to get you down to the OR to start preparing for the surgery."

"I'm not consenting until I see my daughter." Jules stated.

* * *

><p>Using a phone on the wall, Megan called in another police unit, who came to pick up the suspect and his gun. After signing the transfer of custody paperwork, Megan heard a page over the intercom in the hospital.<p>

"Megan Perrasmith, I repeat, Mrs. Megan Perrasmith, if you are in the building, please report to Room D1211."

"I have to go." Megan said quickly to the officer, as she handed him James' shotgun.

She approached the elevator, but it quickly closed on her.

Beside the elevator she looked at the directory.

_D-Wing- 5__th__ floor._

She bounded up the stairs, with all of her equipment on, puzzling several people that she passed.

Once on the 5th floor, she saw a large nurses' station.

"Hi," she said, as she approached the station, "I'm Megan Perrasmith. I heard the page. Is my mother here?"

A nurse showed her to the room.

"Mom." Megan said, as she gave her a big hug, "What's going on, are you ok?"

Megan took in the scene. There were two doctors she didn't recognize in the room, and it looked like they were waiting for something to happen.

"I have to have a C-section. There's something wrong with the baby." Jules said, with a few tears.

Megan immediately held her mother's hand and said, "You have to be strong ma. For dad."

Jules nodded to Megan and then to the doctors, "I'm ready."

* * *

><p>Ed couldn't stop it from happening.<p>

A car had zipped by the barricades that Spike had directed the officers to setup. The car caught Ed's attention, as he had to dodge out of the way to avoid being hit.

When Ed looked back to the ledge, where Susan was, she was gone.

Ed went to the edge and looked down to the ground below. What he saw was something that he had only seen once before, and it was on a training video in the Police Academy.

With his anger at himself building up, he punched the cement wall on the bridge, followed by several kicks with his boots. He was angry at failing to properly intervene on this suicide. He was angry at Dr. Toft for instilling doubt into his mind about every decision he made. He was angry at Clark, who kept on defying him.

He kept on punching and kicking cement, until Spike came up beside him, and tried to stop him, but he just pushed Spike to the ground and continuing wailing on the unyielding cement wall. Finally, Spike stood back up, and with the help of Greg, who had just arrived on scene, they managed to put a pair of handcuffs on Ed.

* * *

><p>Down in the operating room prep area, Megan stood beside the stretcher, holding her mom's hand.<p>

"Are you scared?" Megan asked.

Jules nodded.

"Are you?" Jules asked.

"What if something happens to you mom?" Megan replied, tearing up, "I don't want to be alone."

"You won't be." Jules stated, "Because nothing is going to happen to me. You know why? Because he's watching- your dad is watching, and I believe he won't let anything happen, ok?"

Megan nodded, as a few surgical nurses came over and started to cart the stretcher into the nearest set of doors that had a huge decal on them stating 'Authorized Personnel Only'.


	50. Contractions Part Three

Megan stood outside the room. She wasn't allowed in the room- only medical staff only. They didn't want to risk infection to the healing incision that was made for the emergency C-section.

She looked into the reinforced window, at her step-mom who had been asleep since the surgery yesterday. The doctors were worried. They had told Megan that she may have slipped into a coma, and if that was the case, and she may be in the coma for a month or more.

Spike sat in a chair across the hallway. He was able to look into the window, but his focus was on Megan.

"Why haven't you changed?" Spike asked, "Have you slept?"

"I can't." Megan muttered, "Not if there's a chance that she's going to wake up."

Greg walked down the hallway and sat beside Spike. He handed Spike a coffee.

"Two cream, no sugar?" Spike asked.

"That's how mom takes her coffee too." Megan stated.

"Megan," Greg said, as he put down his coffee and stood up, "You need to go home, get some rest."

"I can't."

* * *

><p>Megan couldn't stand there, at the window, waiting for something to happen anymore.<p>

She went to Pediatrics, and asked to see her sister. Again, they couldn't let her close to her, but she was allowed to see her.

Megan looked through the glass, or what she assumed was glass, incubator. A nurse was going through the room, checking up on each baby. When she got to her sister, Megan asked, "How is she doing?"

"She's responding well to medications. We may not have to do any surgeries. Aunt?"

"Sister." Megan corrected with a smile.

The nurse looked at the file again. "Has your mother woke up yet?"

"I don't know. Why?"

"Because Baby Perrasmith is a long name to fit into this line."

Megan laughed, as she looked down to her baby sister.

_My sister…my baby sister. _

* * *

><p>Megan returned to staring through the glass window into her mother's room. Spike had come back, and tried to convince her to at least go to SRU and change and come back. Megan refused.<p>

Then Greg came. He didn't say much. At first, he just sat on the chairs, but then, he stood up with Megan.

"Someone wants to come and see her." Greg said, "But because of the history, you need to authorize it."

"Sam?" Megan guessed.

"Yeah."

Megan thought about it. "Ok- but I want him in cuffs and shackles when he's here. No civilian clothes either. He doesn't get to pretend to be normal."

After Greg left, Ed came. He was with Clark and Sophie.

"How's your mom?" Sophie asked.

"She hasn't woken up yet." Megan admitted, "I hope she's ok."

"She will be." Clark said, "See the monitor- 60 over 120? That's a healthy heartbeat."

Ed came over, "What, you're a doctor know kiddo? Megan, can we talk- privately?"

Megan was reluctant, but she followed him into an empty staircase.

"I'm sorry I didn't come sooner." Ed apologized.

"It wouldn't have helped." Megan replied.

"I could've come sooner." Ed stated, as he took his hands, which were bandaged up with white gauze out of his jacket.

"What happened at the suicide call, Ed?" Megan asked.

"Got in a fight with a wall." Ed brushed it off, not wanting to talk about.

"It looks like the wall won." Megan said, as she left to go back to the window.

Three nurses were in the room, and they were doing something overtop of Jules.

"What's going on?" Megan asked aloud.

"I don't know. I haven't read that far yet." Clark answered.

One nurse nodded in the direction of the window. _She must be the commanding nurse_ Megan figured.

One of the other nurses then came to the window and pulled the blinds shut.

* * *

><p>When the nurses came out of the room, Megan was right on them.<p>

"What's going on?"

"Sorry, next of kin only." The nurse said, as she turned her back towards her.

"I am her next of kin." Megan said, as she grabbed the nurses' shoulder, which startled her enough to turn around the look at Megan, "Strategic Response Unit Officer In Training Megan Perrasmith. I suggest you tell me what's going on here, or you'll be having a not-so-nice visit from my lawyer."

"Your mom's liver is starting to fail. We got a sample for a biopsy. The lab is going to tell us at what stage it's at."

"Why would her liver be failing?" Megan asked.

"We don't know."

"I might know!" a grey haired, limping man said out loud, as he walked past them "But I'm not a doctor anymore."

* * *

><p>Three days after the surgery, and Jules was still unconscious. When the doctor came by, she confirmed that Jules' was in fact in a coma.<p>

"What do we do?" Megan asked, "Her liver…"

"It isn't as bad as we initially thought. We're delivering IV drugs to help with the liver condition."

"And the coma?" Megan asked.

"Ma'am, you might have to prepare yourself. The longer your mother is in the coma, the less likely she is that she's going to come out of it."

Megan had to take a seat across from the window. She started to cry, as the doctor walked away.

Then she heard the sound of boots on the floor.

She looked up and saw three Correctional Services Officer's surrounding Sam Braddock.

Sam was unshaven, and had a thicker beard going on. His hair seemed to be sticking up in strange places, and he no longer had the high and tight, soldier-like hairstyle anymore.

"Megan…" he started.

"I have to go…" Megan said, as she got up and walked away, keeping her eyes on the man that she no longer trusted, "I have to go see my sister."

* * *

><p>On the fourth day, Megan finally agreed to Spike's nagging and went back to SRU to change. After changing, she got into her truck. She had the mind to go right to the hospital, but she had somewhere else she wanted to go first.<p>

_I hope that gate is open._

Once she got there, she was relieved to find the gate open, so she wouldn't have to call the groundskeeper to come open it.

She steered the truck down the narrow, one-way lanes and finally found what she was looking for.

Her father's grave.

She got out and stood in front of it. Standing didn't seem right, so she knelt down on her knees, uncaring if her jeans got grass stains on them.

She started to recite the one and only prayer that she knew.

"Our father, who art in heaven- hallowed thee thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day, your holy bread, and pray for us sinners- now and in the hour of our death, Amen."

She might've screwed it up, but she really didn't care. All she hoped is that her point would get across. She wanted to talk to God, or her father actually, and her father taught her that to talk to God, you had to call to him by praying.

"Dad…" Megan started, "I wish you were here. I don't know what to do. The baby is doing good, but mom- I don't know. Where ever you are, I need your help dad."

* * *

><p>Upon returning to the hospital, it didn't surprise Megan that Jules wasn't awake yet. A nurse told her that the incision was healing up nicely, and that either tomorrow or the next day, Megan would finally be able to go into the room.<p>

_What would I do? She's in a coma. Do I talk to her? Do I do nothing?_

With the overwhelming sensations, Megan gave up, and pulled out her sleeping pills from her pocket, as she took one and fell asleep in one of the chairs.

* * *

><p>"Megan, wake up!"<p>

Megan opened her eyes to see Spike. She figured that he must've been here for a while, since she was laying down over a series of chairs, and that Spike had placed his warm jacket over her.

"Nice touch." Megan said dryly, as she got up and looked through the window.

Nobody was in the room. Not even the stretcher with Jules on it.

"Where's my mom?"

"She was scheduled for an MRI overnight." Spike explained, "When they came to get her this morning for the MRI, she called out for you."

"Then why didn't anyone…" Megan started,

"You were sleeping." Spike continued, "But she wanted to see you, so they wheeled her out here to see you then they took her down to radiology."

"Is she ok? Were you talking to her?"

"No," Spike answered, "The doctors wanted to see why she slipped into the coma, they figure it was neurological."

"What about the baby?" Megan asked, as she stood up.

"They won't let me in. Family only."

* * *

><p>After the MRI, Jules was moved back into a private room, and wasn't subject to the no visitors rule anymore. The entire team was here, Ed, Greg, Spike, even the Commander and Kiera came, but Jules wanted to see Megan first.<p>

"The doctors told me that I was out for four days." Jules said, as she drank some apple juice from a small container, "They won't let me see the baby."

"She's doing good." Megan said, "The medications are really helping, and they figure they won't have to do any surgeries."

"That's good." Jules replied.

"Have you thought of a name yet?" Megan asked.

"Kristina." Jules said, with a slight thought, "Kristina Perrasmith."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: The End? PYSCH! I lied. Now that I'm here, I'm taking a well-deserved break from writing this fanfiction. I'm going to come back, I figure in a minimum of two months (give or take) and start writing again. In the meantime though, I'm working on some original stories that I've already written plot plans for. Check out my profile for more information about my future writing projects.**


	51. Coming Home

**A/N: Alrighty- so I am back. For some strange reason, I can't seem to make chapters as big as I used to make them. Oh well, to make up for it, I'm thinking I'll just publish several chapters at a time!**

**As well, I'm working on editing my first 50 chapters (fixing grammar, spelling and continuity errors), and condensing it into a nifty little PDF file that you can throw onto your cell phone, iPad or Playbook. I'm hoping I can get this done soon, but it's a lot harder than you think. As well, in this 'nifty little PDF', I'm planning on writing some original essays, explaining key plot points, and other bits of my story and including them. Interested? Good- because when it's ready, it'll only be available to FanFiction members!**

* * *

><p>"Flowers?"<p>

"What do you mean?"

"Flowers…" Jules started as she stared at the flowers.

My mom had been stuck in the hospital for the past 5 months for medical observation. They had their reasons, as after an emergency C-section was performed, and her baby was born pre-maturely- she slipped into a coma for four days.

After her 5 months in the hospital, the doctors were still baffled by the four day coma. The closest we got for an explanation was 'It was your body's way of dealing with the shock'. They had even flown in a specialist from Calgary who still couldn't give a better explanation.

Meanwhile, my pre-maturely born sister was doing pretty well. The reason why they had performed the emergency C-section was because the baby's lungs were undeveloped which was causing distress, which therefore caused my mom severe pain. For the first few months she needed to be kept in a sterile environment with no possibility of bacterium or viruses getting close to her, so neither me or mom could hold or touch her.

The first few weeks were hell. I'd come in to see mom either before or after work, depending on my shift and Jules would either be crying or yelling- just wanting to see Kristina, my sister. She was named after my dad- Kristopher. He died eight months ago when he was shot.

Finally, the nurses gave in, and allowed the incubator to be brought into her room during the night, so she could at least see her baby. After the second month, Kristina was allowed to stay in the room all the time.

In the 3rd month, we were able to hold her for the first time. I was coming off of a 12 hour shift. When I walked into the room, I saw the incubator open, and mom holding Kristina. I had originally thought that she had stolen some bobby pins and managed to pick the lock.

That was the day I held my baby sister for the first time. I was afraid. I mean, after working a 12 hour shift, I didn't know if I'd be attentive enough to be holding a pre-mature baby.

But it was fine. Kristina slept in my arms. That night, when I slept in the chair I had fondly come to know and love, was the first night in the past 4 months when I didn't need the sleeping pills to get to sleep.

I walked over to the plastic vase where the flowers were and pulled out the card.

"For the love of God, eat a sandwich- Spike."

I laughed, and so did mom. The baby made some sort of halfhearted, high pitched, laughing noise.

"I gotta go." Jules said, as she got out of the bed and passed me Kristina.

Once she was out of bed, she made her way to the restroom in the private hospital room.

I threw the card back down on the table, as I rocked Kristina in my arms.

"You're going to laugh at Uncle Spike when you see him." I muttered to Kristina.

* * *

><p>"And I'll just get you to sign here." The nurse asked Jules.<p>

Jules was signing her hospital release form. Meanwhile I was signing Kristina's, since I was designated as her legal guardian.

It was kinda cool. The hospital's lawyer suggested that since Jules was a single parent, that at least one other person be made Kristina's legal guardian. Since I am over the age of majority, mom decided that it should be me. It wasn't so hard to do either. My lawyer helped me through the process, and since I'm almost a law enforcement officer, an exception was made where I wouldn't have to wait the 2 month probationary period.

"Alright, time to go home sis." I said to Kristina, as we walked out of the hospital, with mom behind us.

* * *

><p>"Guys- I think they're coming." Spike said gleefully, as he returned to the group, who were hiding behind the couch in the living room.<p>

"Anybody want to tell me why I'm here?"

"It's a team bonding exercise, Brad." Ed responded.

Brad was hired onto Team One as a long term replacement to Jules. As much as Ed didn't want to admit it, Brad was excellent, and he'd be sad to see him go when Jules came back.

But that didn't matter to Ed right now- what mattered the most was unveiling the surprise 'welcome back to your life' bonanza that he and Spike had put together.

Ed, with the help of Clark had come to the house several times over the past five months and had baby-proofed the entire house- it was a big job, but someone had to do it. Spike, on the other hand, had made himself useful and had prepared the baby's room for her arrival. Gone, was the boring paint scheme, and instead it boasted an eggshell yellow color. As well, Spike had assembled most of the furniture by himself, including the crib and changing table. Ed, of course, didn't want to leave anything to chance and tested all the furniture by using his two year old daughter- Isabel, as a crash test dummy, much to his wife's disapproval. Ed's biggest accomplishment however, was doing all of this without Megan knowing, since she was spending most of her nights at the hospital, and only coming home to change or to keep up the general upkeep of the home.

* * *

><p>We opened the door. Jules came in, as I held the door, for her, since she was carrying Kristina.<p>

Something seemed off. I couldn't really place it…

Then I realized I could see the top of a bald head from behind the couch, and part of a shoe sticking out from the side that could only belong to the newest Team One recruit, Brad.

"What's going on?" Jules asked me.

"Wait for it…."

Then Greg, Ed, Spike and Brad jumped up from behind the couch and yelled "Surprise!"

Actually they yelled it so loud that Kristina started to cry.

"Oh, jeez guys," Jules said, as she started to rock Kristina back and forth, a move that she had perfected while in the hospital, "She was so calm."

"I'm glad to see you Jules." Greg said, as he leaned in and gave both Kristina and Jules a soft hug. When Kristina's hand had brushed the top of Greg's thinning hair, she stopped crying and stared at him in amazement.

"Someone likes Uncle Greg." Jules said, as she looked at the team "Who's this?"

"Jules, this is Brad." Greg introduced them, "Brad, Jules."

"Glad to finally meet you." Brad said, as he shook Jules' free hand, "Now I see where Megan gets her good looks from."

I looked at Brad like he had two heads, as I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of wine, and some glasses. "Wow Brad, that was insensitive."

"Sorry, I just…" Brad started.

"She's my step-mom." I explained, as I passed Ed a glass of wine.

"Oh."

* * *

><p>After everyone had a drink, except mom and the baby of course, we ventured up the stairs, as Spike was begging everyone to come up and check out the baby's room.<p>

"What's the rush?" I asked, as we got to the stop of the stairs, "The walls are black and grey and…"

Ed opened the doors. The bright colors made me squint my eyes.

I looked over to mom, who was in love with the colors and the furniture.

"Girlish enough?" I muttered to Spike, "I'm going to need sunglasses every time I come in here."

"And what are those things on your chest?" Spike asked defiantly, with a hint of sarcasm.

"Spike-" Jules asked, "Did you do this? This is awesome!"

"Yeah, Spike," I started, "Did you do this?"

"Ed and Clark may have helped, but yes."

Mom put Kristina in the playpen, where she looked up with a babyish smile on her face.

"Thank you Spike." I muttered to him.

"Don't mention it."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry for the short chapter. You can't rush into good things, you have to take it slow, right?**

**Right. **


	52. Work First, Play Later

"Boss, we need to back off these armed guards here- I do not want them in our field of view, and I do not want sympathetic fire, ok?"

"Yeah, I got it Eddie." Greg radioed to Ed, "Sierra- how's your vantage?"

"Great," I responded, "With a side of…what the hell?"

* * *

><p>I rolled over and gazed at the alarm clock. 4:54am- ok fine.<p>

After I got up and changed into my workout clothes, I immediately got onto the stationary bike in my room and did twenty minutes of intense cardio. When I made my way into the kitchen, I immediately went for a Gatorade to recharge with. _I'll need it._

After the cardio, I went into the new part of the house on the 1st floor, were we had a miniature gym going on. Beside the treadmill was a Bowflex machine that mom had bought so she could get back into shape, and beside it, was a traditional rack of weights and barbells, which I immediately went for and started my muscular resistance training.

After my workout, I went back upstairs and took a relaxing shower, after which I dressed into my base layer of my uniform.

Then the baby woke up.

Kristina cried out, even as I entered her room. When I picked her up and held her close to my body, she seemed to calm down a bit, but she still seemed antsy.

"Hungry, eh?" I asked her, as we went out into the hallway and entered mom's room, "Hey ma, Kristina is hungry."

Jules got up, and with a smile took the baby and started to breast feed. "If only you could do this for me."

"Yeah, ok," I started, "If you need me, I'll be downstairs making some breakfast."

Breakfast. What to make for breakfast?

* * *

><p>I rolled into the SRU parking lot at the same time that Spike did. We walked up to the door together.<p>

"Be surprised, will you?" Spike asked.

"What?"

"You don't know?"

"Know what?" I asked.

Spike gave me a look, then darted his eyes away.

"Spike…"

"You're making Constable today. Act surprised." Spike informed, as he entered the doors and made his way into the men's locker room.

Unfazed, I went into the women's locker-room. Inside was Kiera getting changed.

"Are they still not done the renovations in the other locker room?" I asked.

I sat down on the bench and took off my shoes. Kiera came and sat down beside me, as she looked into the same section of mirror as I did.

"Did you know that I'm…different?" Kiera asked.

"What are you…" I started.

Then Kiera kissed me. And not an innocent cheek peck, but full on making out. _Why? What's this all about?_

But then I found myself kissing her back. Something about it felt right.

Then Kiera stopped, as she pulled back, and stood up.

"Think about it." Kiera said as she left.

'_Think about it'- think about what? Being a…and Kiera is a…oh my god. Well, this explains a few things. For starters, it explains why Kiera was checking me out almost every time she could. It explained to me why she had no problems changing right in the middle of the locker room._

_Wow. How am I supposed to wrap my mind around this?_

* * *

><p>I met with the rest of Team One in the weight room. I was still thinking about the sexual tension in the locker room…<p>

"Perrasmith!"

"What?" I asked, as I came into attention and looked at Ed and Greg who were standing while, me, Spike and Brad sat down on a bench.

"Were you paying attention at all?" Ed asked.

"Ummm…"

"The proper answer would be 'no', since you've had that blank stare on your face since you sat down," Ed continued, "But I digress. Megan- can you go get the commander so we can do our monthly weigh in?"

Without any questions, I ran down the hallway and told the commander that we're ready for our weigh in.

Nothing abnormal- of course, I'm the lightest person on the team, and after the commander had said out loud that I weigh 113 pounds Spike yelled out, "Someone needs to eat more!"

After, we did the drag test- where we drag the heaviest member from side to side of the gym the commander voiced out the results.

"Team one, very impressive. Overall score of 98%- you were docked because Brad was a bit too slow on his drag recovery."

We all nagged Brad because of this.

"And to finish things up, Megan, can you come here for a moment?" the commander asked.

I walked up to him, "Yeah?"

"Welcome to SRU Constable Perrasmith." He said, as he took out a package of uniform epaulettes and passed them to me.

I smiled. I didn't have to fake the surprise.

"Thank you."

* * *

><p>"Team one- hot call!"<p>

"What is it Winnie?" Greg asked.

"Brinks compound in Mississauga- a man is threatening to kill his wife if they don't give him $40,000."

Once we got there, we got out of the trucks, and followed Ed's direction.

"Megan- get a rifle and setup a Sierra. Spike- help her find a location for that. Me and Brad will be alpha- quick and slow and gather intel. Boss- you want to do your thing?"

"Do I ever Eddie." Greg replied, as I grabbed a Remington 700 Tactical from the rear of the truck.

"Alright, Megan," Spike guided me, "See a radio tower?"

"Yes I do."

"Climb it- there is a platform about half the way up- it's going to be a perfect spot for a Sierra shot."

"Spike," came Greg's voice over the radio, "I got a vehicle plate for you."

Greg and Spike continued talking over the radio, but I really wasn't listening. I made my way up to the radio tower and climbed up, and found he platform. Once there, I secured myself to the framing by using a simple rope harness and an industrial lanyard.

Once I had that setup, I laid down on the platform and found my target.

"Sierra one in position." I relayed, "Ed- the suspect is approximately 50 feet to your north flank. There's a solid low wall that you can cover behind."

"Copy that Sierra." Ed thanked over the radio.

"Starting negotiations over the loudspeaker- pay attention." Greg radioed, "Sir- my name is Sargent Gregory Parker with the Police Strategic Response Unit. What is your name?"

"Like you care!" he yelled back.

"Boss, we got the armed guards converging on the subject." I voiced, "Ed and Brad, I suggest containment on the guards."

"We'll do our best."

"Cross-referenced a snap shot from the exterior CCTV to the DMV database," Spike radioed, "Our subject is Patrick Bennett, 34 years of age, works with- hold onto your hardhats people, because this might make your head roll…"

"Spike, cut to the chase." I replied.

"He works for Brinks. Accessing his employee file- married to a Sara Bennett. Age unknown."

"Patrick- why don't you tell me why I'm here?" Greg asked him.

"You're here because they won't give me the money! Did you know, that in a stick up, they're trained to give the money?"

"I did know that, Patrick." Greg replied, "But did you know what once said suspect attempts to flee with said money, they're also trained to shoot a person?"

"I train them!" Patrick yelled, "Of course I do!"

"Then why are you doing this Pat? Can I call you Pat?"

"You can call me whatever you want!"

"Ok Pat- you mind telling me why you're threatening to kill your wife if you don't get the money?"

"Sara Bennett-" Spike filled in, "Recently did time in an addictions clinic. Not for drugs, but for gambling."

"Wife gets back into gambling, lost all the money, and now he's trying to piece his life back together using her as a bargaining chip, and when they don't pay up, or when he doesn't need her anymore, he kills her." I said, piecing the information together.

"Let's hope he doesn't get that far." Greg said, "Spike, look into the psychiatric records of Patrick Bennett, see if there's anything there."

"Might not be any records." Spike suggested, "But I'll look."

"Alright, here's what I'm thinking here." Ed said, "I got all the armed guards that I could find out of range…."

"Not all of them Ed," I said, as I used the binoculars to scan the area, "There's a team of guards in the 2nd armored truck on the south side, and they look like they're preparing themselves."

"For what?"

"Ed, if I knew that, don't you think I'd tell you?"

"Good point." Ed said, "Boss, we need to back off these armed guards here- I do not want them in our field of view, and I do not want sympathetic fire, ok?"

"Yeah, I got it Eddie." Greg radioed to Ed, "Sierra- how's your vantage?"

"Great," I responded, "With a side of…what the hell?"

* * *

><p>"Sierra- what do you see?" Ed asked.<p>

"Boss, you seeing this?" I asked.

"Seeing what?" Ed asked again.

"Yeah, copy that Sierra." Greg responded, "Eddie, Patrick's blindfolding his wife. He doesn't want to have to kill her. He's dehumanizing her, so when the time comes, he'll be able to."

"Boss-", I radioed, "Something makes me think he never wanted the money. He wanted an out. He figures that he can't live with his wife having a gambling problem, but he doesn't have the stones to actually leave her, so he brought her out here where either he'll end up killing her, removing her from his life, or he gets shot and killed, so he won't have to live with her."

"That's sad and sick at the same time." Spike commented.

"That could be the case here Team," Greg said, "So listen up- Eddie, Brad, go less lethal and attempt to take Patrick into custody. Sierra, stay lethal- if I give you the command, I want you to take it, ok?"

I nodded, but then I realized Greg couldn't see me nodding.

"Copy that."

"Alpha team moving in." Ed said, as him and Brad jumped over the wall.

Ed immediately went to secure Sara- the wife, while Brad brought up his taser and pointed it at Patrick.

"Sara Bennett in custody." Ed said, as he looked up to the Patrick-Brad standoff.

I saw Patrick's gun rise up, with the muzzle pointed in Brad's direction.

"Boss, you need to give the order." Ed stated.

"No, he's bluffing Ed." Greg replied, "He's not going to shoot."

"Boss, he has a gun pointed at Brad, you need to do it."

"Eddie…"

Ed spoke into the headset, "Constable Brad Mattice in critical danger, as Team Leader, I'm calling Scorpio."

That order was all I needed.

My scope reticle was already lined up. Without hesitation, I pulled the crisp, light trigger and landed my shot.

* * *

><p>Inspector Stainton, and his newly appointed detective was on scene. I had already climbed down the tower, and as they approached me, I removed the magazine from the rifle, and the empty cartridge and passed the weapon to the detective.<p>

"Constable Megan Perrasmith," the detective said, "You are now sequestered until the SIU examination at the SRU headquarters."

I nodded.

I became confused though, when Inspector Stainton put a hand on my wrist and placed it into a pair of handcuffs.

"Constable Megan Perrasmith, you are under arrest." The inspector said, as he started to continue, but couldn't as the Team had raced over and started yelling at the inspector.

"Hey- what's going on?" Spike yelled.

"Inspector- mind sharing your thoughts?" were Greg's words.

Brad stood back, baffled at the scene, while Ed came forward and muttered into my ear, "It'll be ok."

The rest of the scene seemed to be just a blur, as I was put into the police cruiser and driven to the SRU Station.

* * *

><p>Once at the station, the detective escorted me down to conference room four, where my lawyer, Emily Makinson and the SIU inspector sat waiting.<p>

Emily immediately stood up when she saw that I was in handcuffs. "Why is my client in cuffs?" she demanded.

"She's under arrest." The detective explained, "I'm under court order to keep the cuffs on until she can be seen in front of a judge."

Emily stared at the detective, "Then we're going to be here for a while, because I will not allow this proceeding to continue if my client is going to be treated like a criminal. She did nothing wrong at the call, detective- mind telling me what the arrest is all about?"

"She's under a courthouse arrest for a failure to appear in court at the parole hearing of Sam Braddock."

"And that had to be done publicly?" Emily said angrily, "I'm going to the commander about this."

Emily stormed out, leaving the room, as what I can assume was an attempt to understand the situation at hand, because lord knew that I didn't.

A few minutes later Emily came back with the Commander, who immediately came behind me and used his cuff key to uncuff me.

"Hey, you can't do that." The detective said.

"Yes, I can, and I did," the commander said to the detective, "Because Constable Perrasmith's legal case with Sam Braddock is not in question at this examination."

Once the commander and the detective left, we all sat down and started the proceeding.

"Interesting turn of events here, eh?" the SIU inspector asked, "So the call was pretty much by the book, not too much to discuss, except for some questions I have."

"Go ahead." I urged her on.

"Why did Team Leader Ed Lane give the Scorpio command, instead of Sargent Greg Parker?"

"My Sargent had reason to believe that the person in question- Patrick Bennett was bluffing."

"Why would he have been bluffing?"

"Suicide by cop." I explained, "I'm sure you know what that is."

"Ok, that's all I need Mrs. Perrasmith." The inspector said, "Your sequester is nullified. I hope your legal proceedings fare well."

* * *

><p>Once I stepped out of the conference room, the detective stood there waiting with his cuffs.<p>

"Do you really?" I asked.

"Court order."

He put the cuffs on me, but he spared me the dignity and he draped my coat over my wrists to hide the cuffs as we walked out of the building and into his waiting police cruiser.

He drove down to the courthouse. Once there, he escorted me into Court Room One.

"Megan Perrasmith is here, your honor." He announced.

"Finally." He said, "The case of Sam Braddock applying for parole is in session."

I looked over to a bench, where Sam was seated with two Corrections officers on either side of him.

"Your honor," I said, as I stood, "May the bailiff approach and remove my handcuffs?"

The judge nodded, as the bailiff approached me and removed the black anodized handcuffs from my wrists.

"Megan Perrasmith," the judge started.

"Actually, your honor, it is Officer Megan Perrasmith now."

"Officer Megan Perrasmith," the judge corrected, "The reason why this parole hearing is being held here today is due to the sensitive nature surrounding the case in which landed Mr. Sam Braddock in prison. Is it true that when he assaulted you, he was not an SRU Officer?"

"That is true."

"Is it true that when you were assaulted that you were a member of the SRU Rover Crew?"

"Yes."

"As well as, in the months after your assault, that your father was killed in the line of duty?"

"Yes."

"Two questions for you today Officer Perrasmith: If the parole to Sam Braddock is granted, would you fear for your own safety? As well, in your opinion, which will be presented as hearsay evidence only- should the court grant parole to Mr. Braddock?"

"Yes, your honor, I would fear for my safety in the event of Mr. Braddock receiving parole. In fact, if it is granted, I will most likely apply for a restraining order and an authorization from my commander for concealed off-duty carry. As well, it is my opinion that Sam Braddock should not be granted parole."

"Thank you Mrs. Perrasmith." The judge replied, "The court will review this file, and will inform you with the result."


	53. Lights Out

**A/N: I realized that after re-reading over half of my work, I never had written any sort of legal mumbo-jumbo, so here it is:**

**This is a work of fiction. All names, places, and characters are fiction. Any resemblance to any persons- living or dead is purely coincidental. The characters, names and places such as (but not limited to) 'Jules', 'Ed', 'Greg', 'Spike', 'Winnie', 'SRU', and 'Sam' belong to the original writers of the TV series "Flashpoint".**

**Under Guidelines this FanFiction is rated 'T' for Teen, for violence, some language and some sexual referencing. Reader's discretion is advised.**

**The FanFiction, **_**A New Beginning **_**and its author, under the pseudonym 'djmay****71' do not wish to pass judgment whether criminal, racial, sexual, or discriminatory- all character profiling are for the purposes of a fiction-based plot line.**

**Phew. Glad I got that out of the way. This chapter for me marks a big step forward in my character development. It is a bit risky (but not as risky as killing my main character…), but after jumping back and forth about keeping it in the plot, or forgoing it at all, I've finally decided to keep it. I have hinted at this in previous chapters, and I really hope this pays off.**

**Cheers!**

* * *

><p>I laid down in bed. I had myself covered up with the blankets, as I looked over to the clock. I still had a lot of time before I had to start getting ready for work.<p>

My mind was racing. In the past week, so many things had happened. Kiera kissed me. I got arrested for the second time. Sam was applying for parole.

_Sam applying for early parole didn't really bother me. What plagued my mind however was the nagging question- is Sam going to be granted early parole? Has he changed? Probably not- he's probably still the war-hardened soldier, playing tough, and ignoring his problems with alcohol and thoughts of suicide. Mom told me about that. Mom told me how my dad had stopped Sam from committing suicide. Why didn't dad just let him die? If he does get parole, will I go through with the restraining order? Will I file a request with my commander to allow me to carry a concealed handgun with me while I'm off duty?_

_And then the arrest- my second arrest. God, that was humiliating. After I pretty much save Brad's life, after he had been staring down the barrel of a maniac's handgun, what do I get? I got arrested. It's not too bad though. But then again, that's now two arrests on my record that aren't easily explained. The first time? Arrested for parking alongside the highway because I had to get out of my car because I was physically sick of my estranged biological mother trying to contact me. Second time, because I failed to appear at Sam Braddock's parole hearing- first of all, I didn't even know he had requested parole, let alone that he had actually got a hearing. How is that going to look on a criminal check. Bad. Why? Because the criminal check wouldn't include the part where I didn't want to be in contact with my biological mother, and how Sam Braddock had been involved in a suicide intervention previous to his assault on me. Life hates me, doesn't it?_

_And the kiss. Kiera kissed me. What does that mean? Does she like me? I kissed her back- it's not like I didn't move my lips, move my tongue. Does that mean I like her? Isn't that a bit….gay? There's nothing wrong about being gay I suppose, but what does this mean? I can't easily talk about it, because everybody I know is straight. Am I gay? Am I straight? When I kissed Kiera…something about it seemed right, but at the same time, I'm not really attracted to her. Does that make me bi-sexual?_

_Dean Parker, Clark Lane- are they attractive? I never really noticed. Kiera? I don't know…_

Again, I looked at the clock.

Time to get ready for work.

* * *

><p>Once I got to work, I immediately went into the locker room. The person I saw in there was the last person I wanted to see- well, maybe dead last would be Sam, so second last.<p>

Kiera.

My self-conscious questions about my sexual orientation flashed through my mind. _I can't go on like this. I need to figure things out._

I dropped my bag in front of my locker and immediately went to Kiera. Maybe she was expecting it, but she leaned up against the lockers as I leaned in towards her.

"Are you…?" I started to ask.

"Yes." She whispered, "Are you?"

"I don't know." I admitted, as I continued leaning in and placed my lips on hers.

I felt a strong sense of euphoria that I've never felt before. Right now, I feel insecure, yet safe at the same time.

Kiera broke off.

"Look, Megan, you're really nice and all, but I don't think it's appropriate." Kiera said, "You're wonderful, but you're also a co-worker. I don't want things to get weird. The contractors finished the other locker room; I guess I won't be seeing you anymore."

Kiera left.

I thought to myself, _Weird. Weird ended five minutes ago. Did craziness just start? If nothing else, I learned something about myself- I might be a lesbian._

* * *

><p>Team One met in the debriefing room. For some strange reason I felt awfully confident in myself.<p>

Ed had started talking, and I guess I wasn't listening.

_I am a woman. I like women. I like kissing them, I like…_

"Perrasmith!" Ed yelled, "That's twice now that I've had to snap you back into reality- what's going on?"

"It's nothing Ed," I partially lied, "Just a lot of things on my mind."

"And here's one more thing for your mind: power station."

"Power station?" Spike asked.

"Yes, Officer Scarlatti- power station. The Ontario Power Generation power station in town recently received a threat of violence. On site security has been doubled up, but they still don't have the man power to cover the 10 square kilometers that their station covers."

Greg pressed some buttons on the media remote, as a map came up on the projector screen.

"Here is their compound." Ed continued, "They have security teams dispatched here and here at their perimeter guard stations, but they need a way to guard and protect the spaces in between. That's where we come in. Suggestions?"

"Find a tall, central location, set it up with a Sierra and a spotter?" Brad suggested.

"Armed with what exactly?"

"A 50 BMG." Brad informed.

"Yeah right." I butted in.

"What?" Brad asked.

"Brad," Ed said, "How do I put this lightly? You're insane. A 50 BMG? You know how far those type of rounds can go? If there was a clear path, I could shoot at Kipling from Scarborough."

"That and a 50cal isn't exactly standard SRU equipment." I pointed out.

"What do you suggest Perrasmith?" Ed asked.

"Similar to what Brad said- but we have two Sierras- spaced out- armed with standard SRU rifles, no spotters. Each Sierra has a unit on the ground in a vehicle to patrol the area, and we get an additional team splintered at each security outpost. Each splinter would have a Unit, negotiator and a Sierra."

"Sounds like a plan, let's go Team One," Greg said, as we got up and made our way to the garage, "Kiera call up Team Seven. Ed- send that tac plan to Team Seven's Team Leader."

"Copy that boss." Ed replied.

I walked with Spike.

"You want to go out for a drink tonight?" Spike asked, "We get back from the detail, go to the Goose, knock back a few, meet someone."

"And by someone you mean…? I asked.

"Someone special." Spike said, as he got into the driver's seat of the SUV, as I got into the passenger's seat.

_Someone special, alright._

* * *

><p>Once we got there, and we were let in by security, Ed had made up his mind on where he was going to place everyone.<p>

"Megan- you'll be Sierra Two, and I'll be One. The boss will be one unit by himself and Brad and Spike will be the other unit."

"What about Team seven?" I asked, as I grabbed a rifle.

"They'll co-ordinate themselves." Ed said, as he grabbed his rifle and equipment, "I'll take the right vantage, you got the left?"

"Copy that." Came my reply, as I calmly walked to the tower I was to ascend to setup my Sierra post.

* * *

><p>Spike yawned over the radio.<p>

"Spike, if you yawn again…" I started.

"Sorry," Spike replied, "Can't help it. Brad's been humming something, and it's putting me to sleep."

"What's he humming?" I asked.

Brad answered, " 'Baby'….by Justin Bieber."

Everybody laughed.

"That'll do it." Ed said, "Sierra two, what's your vantage?"

"Good." I replied.

"Sierra two, you want to play a Sierra game?"

"What are you suggesting?" I asked, as I've never heard of 'Sierra games'.

"I was thinking 'I'd Hit That.'" Ed replied.

"Please tell me it isn't what it sounds like."

"No, its dead simple." Ed explained, "I say something that I see in my field of view, and you try to locate it with your scope and you answer either 'I can hit that' or 'I can't hit that.' "

"Sounds like the worst bedroom game ever." Spike piped in.

In the background over the radio, I could hear Brad laughing.

"I'll start." Ed said, "2nd light pole in the north parking lot."

I aligned my scope on the object at hand. "I can hit that."

I found my object.

"3rd Brick from the west…" I started.

"We got contact at the main gate." Greg said, "Team One, attention on main gate."

I repositioned myself, and found the main gate. At the main gate, I could see a large black SUV pulling up.

"I have the solution."

"Sierra One?" Greg asked.

"Negative, no solution." Ed replied, "Sierra Two is now Sierra One- do you copy?"

"Copy that Sierras. Hold for my Scorpio." Greg replied, "Let's see how this goes down. What can you see Sierra One?"

"Black SUV, maybe a Toyota- marker Hotel Mike India Tango Fiver Six Five. Team Seven and Security engaging."

"Running the plates now- should have it in a minute." Spike replied.

The second channel on the radio crackled to life- "Team Seven to Team One- do you have the solution?"

I engaged the second channel, "Team Seven, this is Team One Sierra One, I have the solution."

"Copy that Team One, Sierra One." Team Seven replied, "Converging on subject vehicle."

Then I heard Spike talking to Team Seven.

"Team One Bravo to Team Seven Alpha- do you copy?"

"Copy that Team One Bravo- what do you have?"

"Vehicle is registered to a Jacob Hensey, previously convicted and charged with fraud, breaking and entering and assault with a deadly weapon. Proceed with caution."

"Copy that Team One," Team Seven responded, "Proceeding with caution."

I watched as the guards and Team Seven surrounded the vehicle. I couldn't hear them, but I could tell that they were demanding the driver step out of the vehicle. He didn't so a Team Seven Officer brought up his baton and smashed in a window as another officer dropped in a smoke grenade.

"Team Seven," I radioed in, "Team One Sierra One has lost visual. I repeat, Team One Sierra One, solution is compromised. Sierra Two?"

"Still no solution Sierra One." Ed replied, "Go thermal."

I took out a bulky headset that covered my eyes. Using it, I could detect heat signatures, which would theoretically allow me to see through the smoke.

"Solution on thermal?" Ed asked.

"Solution found-" I responded, "I thought we don't shoot on thermals?"

"We don't." Greg replied, "We'll let Team Seven contain."

Using the thermals, I saw Team Seven extract the driver from the SUV, as they placed handcuffs on him.

"Boss," Ed replied, "I got action on my right flank from the second security post- black SUV, descending on post."

"You got the solution?" Greg asked Ed.

"Negative- tinted windows."

"Whoever it is- they are smart." Brad said, "Urban warfare 101- divide and conquer."

I scanned the first gate. This time I saw another vehicle coming up fast, with no thought of slowing down.

I ripped off the thermal headset, "Boss- we got another subject on the main gate- he going to charge the gate."

"Solutions?" Greg asked.

"I could shoot, but even if I take the driver out, he'll continue on and drive right into the switch yard." I replied.

"Megan, shoot out the air intake- it'll stop the vehicle dead." Spike suggested, "Then Sierra two can place a shot on the suspect."

"Negative Spike, Ed is already engaged." I said, "I'll do both myself."

Just as the SUV breached the gate, I fired one shot. Nothing. I racked back the bolt and the empty casing flew out, as I brought the bolt back into the firing position, and I fired again. This time I hit my target, as the vehicle came to sudden stop.

I placed my scope reticle over the man in the SUV. "I have the solution."  
>"Copy that-" Greg said, "Alpha and Bravo converging- keep us covered Sierra One. Ed- how you doing?"<p>

"Incident at the 2nd gate contained." Ed informed, "I have the solution on your subject as well."

"Sierra two," Spike informed, "Cover the main entrance- the gate has been breached."

"Copy that alpha." Ed said, as I looked over and noticed that he was changing his target angle to the gate.

"Incident secured, Sierras." Greg said, as he put a pair of cuffs on the driver of the SUV who surrendered, "Spike, call up some detectives to question the subjects in SRU custody."

* * *

><p>When the detectives arrived they questioned the persons in custody. They all confessed to being a part of the 'threatening phone call' plan.<p>

After we returned to headquarters, I changed and met up with Spike, Ed and Brad in the lobby. We all piled into Ed's van-like vehicle and went to the bar.

"Drinks are on Brad tonight." Spike said, as we got out at the bar.

"What?" Brad asked.

"The guy who hums Justin Bieber songs at work buys the drinks." Ed said, as we showed the door bouncer our IDs and took a seat at a booth.

Ed had one drink with us, but then he got a call from Sophie saying that she wanted him home ASAP.

"Better go." Ed had said before he left.

After Ed left, Brad mysteriously disappeared never to be seen again. Me and Spike figured he used Ed's exit as a distraction for his exit.

"A crafty guy." I said, as Spike left to go get another round.

Spike was taking an awfully long time to get the drinks, so I thought I'd get up and walk around a bit.

My eyes immediately went to a cute red-headed woman sitting alone.

As I was having a moral dilemma in my mind of whether or not I should ask her out, I found myself walking over to her. Once I got there, I awkwardly asked, "Do I know you from somewhere?"

She looked up. "I don't think so."

I sat down across from her. "I'm going to level with you, because I have no clue what I'm doing. I'm…well, I'm not sure…"

"Are you into girls?" she asked me with a giggle, "I'm Sara."

"Megan." I introduced.

"So Megan," Sara said to me, "I think I'm having the same problem you are. I've never had a boyfriend, and I'm not sure if I'm a…"

"Yeah." I interrupted, "Me too."

"It's so nice to be able to talk to someone about it." Sara admitted, "Do you want to go to my place? I'm just around the corner- get out of this sleazy bar."

"Yeah, I'd like that." I replied.

"Hey- Megan, there you are!" Spike yelled from behind me, "I was getting worried when I couldn't find you…and who is this?"

"Spike, this is Sara." I said, as I formulated a lie in my head, "We went to high school together. She's going to give me a lift home."

"Alright suit yourself." Spike said, as he left.

Together, me and Sara left the bar. Once we were out of earshot of the long line of patrons waiting to get in, Sara asked, "Who was that guy? Why'd you lie?"

"He's my co-worker, and I'm not sure if…"

Sara walked beside me, as she reached out and grabbed my hand, "Just to see?" she suggested.

Once we got to her place, she unlocked the door. Once inside she took my hand and took me to her bedroom.

"Oh, my god." I said, "Really?"

"Why not?" Sara said, "Just to see if we really are. You seem like a nice person. What do you do Megan?"

"I'm a cop- with the Strategic Response Unit."

Sara smiled, as she sat on her bed with me, "That's hot."

She leaned in to kiss me, but I pulled away, "What about you?"

"Paramedic." She said, as she laid down, "Pays the rent."

I laid down beside her, as I threw out all rational reasoning. That night was the first time I ever had sex. That night, I found out I was a lesbian.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So yeah. And to get the record straight, I'm not doing this to fulfill some deranged fantasy of mine. I'm doing this because it feels right for the character, that's why. People can have their opinions, and actually I want people to give me their opinions on it. How you ask? Review!**


	54. Under Pressure

"Spike- you need to tell me what's going on down there." Ed stated.

Spike didn't reply.

"Spike. Spike?"

"Ed!" Spike yelled over the radio, "I'd appreciate some quiet time ok? I'm not going to be able to defuse this in time if you continue to yell in my ear!"

* * *

><p>I woke up enveloped in Sara's blanket.<p>

"Are you awake?" Sara asked.

"Yeah." I replied, as I turned to meet her face.

She kissed me, as I held onto her body.

"What does this mean?" I asked out loud.

"For me," Sara said, "It means I like girls. You?"

_What does it mean for me? Does it mean I like girls? Ok- simpler question- do I like Sara? Yes, I do. Then yes, I like girls._

"Did you want to go on a date sometime?" I blurted out.

Sara smiled, "I think we're already dating- we've seen each other…"

"Yeah," I said with a smile, "I love you."

She continued to smile as we started kissing. Between breaths she told me, "I love you too."

* * *

><p>Sara drove me home. Well, not right home, about a half block away. I walked the rest of the way.<p>

I walked into the house, and mom came out of the kitchen with Kristina in her arms.

"Where have you been?" she asked, "I've been worried about you."

I started formulating already, "I had one too many drinks last night with the guys so I walked to Ashley's. She just dropped me off."

"Oh." Jules replied, "You have breakfast yet?"

"Not yet." I replied.

"I suppose you want to work out first."

_True- I usually do work out before breakfast. But then again, I did burn a lot of calories last night…_

"Nah, I think I'm going to skip my workout for today. Let the body rest."

* * *

><p>After having some breakfast and a shower, I got dressed and went into work. As soon as I entered the gym, where the rest of the team was, I could tell that both Spike and Brad were hung over.<p>

"Hung over boys?" I asked, as I took a seat.

"Please, no loud talking." Spike mumbled.

"Alright," Ed said, purposely loud, "Let's do some cardio, team!"

I hopped on a treadmill, while Brad, Greg and Ed got onto static bicycles on the other side of the gym. Spike was the last one to move from his seating position. He joined me, and started a walking pace on the treadmill beside me.

"Who was that girl last night at the bar?" Spike asked "Stephanie?"

"Actually, it was Ashley." I corrected, to go along better with the lie I told my mom, "I stayed at her place for the night, and she drove me home this morning."

"How thoughtful." Spike groaned.

"You?" I asked.

"I ended up...somewhere…down on Fifth I think. Woke up buck naked and with a…"

"Ok, Spike, you can stop there!"

After an hour of cardio, both Brad and Spike seemed to have got their energy back. We got together in the debriefing room to go over a few things.

"Megan, can you sign this?" Greg asked, as he passed me a form, "It's just the Consent to a Background Check. You never filled it out."

"Filling it out now." I said with a smile, as I grabbed a pen and started filling it out.

Across the table, Ed was doing some of his own paperwork, while Spike and Brad were playing a game of paper football with a blank piece of paper they got from Ed.

"A piece of paper, and its happy time for Brad and Spike." I commented.

"I would've been happy with that red-head you were talking to at the bar last night." Brad said.

I looked up, thinking Brad was talking to me, but Spike replied, "Yeah, she just ignored me though. That and I'm pretty sure I saw her leaving with a girl."

"Whoa," Brad said, as he screwed up his shot, "That's hot."

"You think?" Spike asked, "We better stop, I can tell we're making Textbook angry- looks like she wants to play."

"I don't want to play your ridiculous game of paper football." I replied, "I don't even like football."

"The eyes look at, what the eyes want," Spike paraphrased, "I could see you looking at us playing paper football."

"No, I was looking at two grown men playing with a folded up piece of paper."

"Spike!" Winnie yelled over from the dispatcher's desk, "I got an email."

Spike got up and started to walk over, "Winnie, how many times does Spikeman have to show you…"

"Never mind, Spikeman," Winnie said, "got it."

Winnie read the email. "Yeah, Spike, maybe you should check this out."

The rest of us got up, as we walked around Winnie's desk and looked at the screen. An email was opened, and it said in huge letters, 'There is a bomb where the tourists go. Wait and you will watch them die.'

"Terrific." Brad said sarcastically.

"That's real professional." I commented.

* * *

><p>" 'Where the tourists go'- what does that mean?" Ed asked.<p>

"Could be anywhere." Spike said, as he took a seat and started typing at the computer, "I'm going to try to trace the email."

"It has to be a place where a lot of tourists go." I suggested, "Think, it's your first time in Toronto, where do you go?"

"See the Maple Leafs?" Brad suggested.

"Yeah, but the lockout and everything." Ed finished, "Museum?"

"Not everybody is interested in museums." I commented, "Toronto International Film Festival- but it's not on right now…"

"CN Tower." Brad stated, "If it's your first time in Toronto, and you've never been here before, you go see the CN Tower."

"Could be." I said, "Could also be the Hockey Hall of Fame."

"This isn't even considered a call yet, and I'm already pissed off." Ed said, "Riddles… I hate riddles."

"Well, then," Spike said, "I'll say it, but it might piss you off- Ryan Atobois, in his living room at 13 Kirkwood Road."

"Let's stop in and say hi." Greg suggested.

At Mr. Atobois' home, me and Ed were alpha, with Brad and Spike as Bravo.

With the door sledge, I smashed in the front door. Following behind Ed, I entered.

"Bravo second floor!" Ed yelled out, "Police, SRU!"

I cleared the living room, as Ed cleared the kitchen.

"Bravo- you got joy?" Ed yelled up the stairs.

Spike and Brad started walking down the stairs, "Nothing."

"I got something Spike. Schematics." I said.

Spike came over to my side, as he looked at the schematics. "That's definitely a bomb-or part of a bomb. There's no firing circuits."

"Which means if it went off all it would do…" I started

"Smoke, small blast, or start a fire- hard to say." Spike said, "But according to the notes, it's definitely at the CN Tower."

"Alright," Greg said over the radio, "I'm calling the CN Security Team, so they can start a lockdown and evacuation of the premises. Anything else Spike?"

"Nothing boss." Spikes replied, as he grabbed a picture of Ryan Atobois, "But let's get an APB out for this guy."

* * *

><p>We raced to the CN Tower, where the evacuation was well underway.<p>

"Alright-" Ed ordered, "Me, boss and Brad will talk to witnesses, hopefully we can get some info. Megan's in the truck. Spike- do your thing."

I saw Spike get out of his SUV, as I waited for the command truck to arrive. Once Spike got out, he opened the rear hatch of the vehicle, and the remote control for his bomb robot, Babycakes.

"Come to papa." He said, as Babycakes rolled down the ramps and onto the asphalt.

I shook my head with a smile, as I climbed into the command truck, hung up my MP5, and got to work.

"10:56am, Team One on scene of a bomb call. Officers Lane, Parker and Green engaging the public for information purposes and Constable Scarlatti on scene and beginning bomb location and identification." I spoke into the microphone.

"Blueprints?" Spike asked over the radio.

"Coming at you," I said, as I grabbed the CN Tower's blueprints from the municipal works database, "On the PDA."

* * *

><p>"We find the bomb yet?" Ed asked, "We're not getting much information here."<p>

"Ed," Spike said, "Do you not know how high the CN Tower is? It could be anywhere- it's like finding a needle in a haystack."

"Literally." Brad pointed out.

"Try the basement, Spike." I suggested over the radio.

"Checking the basement." Spike said.

The next ten minutes were quite uneventful.

"Found it." Spike said, "Do I get a treat?"

"You sure?" I asked, "I might be a dummy."

"You calling me a dummy?" Spike asked with a laugh.

"Nope." I quickly replied, "You sure that's the bomb, though?"

"Yep, because I doubt 8 bricks of C4 is a dummy bomb."

"8 bricks?" I asked, "How could Ryan Atobois, a computing engineer at Rockwell Industries have gotten C4?"

"Don't know." Spike said, "At this point, don't care."

* * *

><p>I worked feverishly to check how Ryan Atobois got the explosives.<p>

"Meg, you block all signals in and out?" Spike asked.

"Yup." I replied, "But I still don't know how…"

"Megan!" Ed yelled over the radio, "Who cares? Just get an APB out for his arrest, ok?"

"Copy that." I replied, as I rolled over to the auto-transcriber, "Constable Scarlatti engaging explosive device for defusing."

Then I switched over to the All-Police-Bulletin radio, "All units be advised- one Ryan Atobois wanted on arrest for public endangerment, and for possession of prohibited devices."

"This is not good." Spike muttered over the radio.

"What is it?" Ed asked.

"I can now see the other half of the circuitry for the bomb. Guys- he wired in a clock that's set to go in five minutes."

"Can you defuse it in time?" I asked.

"I sure hope so." Spike replied.

* * *

><p>"Spike- you need to tell me what's going on down there."<p>

Spike didn't reply.

"Spike. Spike?" Ed yelled over the radio.

"Ed- I'd appreciate some quiet time ok? I'm not going to be able to defuse this in time if you continue to yell in my ear!"

Ed entered the command truck at the same time that Spike yelled at him. Ed looked defeated.

He took off his headset and I took off mine.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Clark."

"Clark….?" I asked.

"I'm worried about him."

I put my radio back on.

"Good news and bad news." Spike said, "I can defuse it."

"Bad news?" I asked.

"I wouldn't want to be the poor sap that has to disassemble this bomb."

I smiled, and said, "Don't worry, Spike, that's for the Bomb Removal & Disposal Unit to take care of."

* * *

><p>Once back at headquarters and our shift ended, I changed and started out for the truck.<p>

Spike came out of the men's change room at the same time.

"You want to go for a drink?" he asked.

"Why?"

"You never know, you might find the guy of your dreams."

"At The Goose?" I asked sarcastically, "Ok, sure."

"What's wrong with The Goose?" Spike asked.

"Spike- don't be offended but that bar is weird, over-crowded, and borderline creepy."

"None taken." Spike said, "So you want to come? Maybe meet the future Mr. Perrasmith?"

"No thanks." I replied.

_Because there won't be a future Mr. Perrasmith…Mrs. Megan & Sara Perrasmith has a nice ring to it._

L

**A/N: As you may have noticed, the chapters in this update string are sort of generic, cookie cutter kind of stuff (tactical wise), but hold onto your hats _A New Beginning _fans, because some 'edge of your seat' stuff is coming up.**


	55. Corruption

I laid back in my desk chair, as I stared at the TV I mounted on the wall. Actually- I can't take all the credit. Sara helped me. Ever since I met her, things seemed so…perfect.

_I'm gay. _I keep telling myself that, as though I need positive reinforcement. Maybe I do. I haven't told anyone, although I'm sure Mom suspects something. The late nights spent at her place, or the nights I spend away from home, staying at Sara's apartment. Something feels so natural.

Then the news segment I was waiting for came on, and it gets my entire attention. No thoughts of the Canadian Military & Police Sharpshooting Competition coming up in a few weeks, and definitely no fantasies of Sara.

Toronto's mayor, Rob Ford, came up the podium that was emblazed with the emblems, insignias and logos of Toronto, the GTA, and the most dominate one: The police unit's Strategic Response Unit.

Flashes from news cameras can be seen snapping the mug of the mayor, although he is not smiling. He's wearing grim face of remorse and fear.

"It is great sadness to confirm the death of the 17 year old, Warden High School Senior, Kendra Plant and the death of 16 year old Hope Caesar of St. Ignatius Secondary School. Both girls were found deceased by police officers on patrol through High Park. Based on the evidence at hand, the police and investigations unit believe the suspects of both murders to be the same. Based on the assistance and tips brought forward by the general public, the investigations unit has reason to believe that the suspect may attempt the crime again. To counteract this, I am asking that anyone with information regarding either murders to come forward to the police immediately."

Then a reporter yelled out, "What of the families?"

The mayor sighed heavily as he spoke into the cluster of microphones, "My sympathies go out to the Plant and Caesar families."

* * *

><p>Me, and the rest of Team One were in the gym working out. Spike and Brad were over doing some intense cardio, while me and Ed were lifting iron. Greg however, was over at the dispatcher's desk, in deep conversation with Winnie.<p>

"What are they talking about?" I asked Ed, as I put down the weights, and rotated my shoulders to stretch them out.

"No clue, why?" Ed asked.

"Just curious."

_Just like me. Well, I'm not curious I suppose, I'm gay. I really think I should tell someone. Spike? No. He'd probably laugh and think it's a joke, and when he realizes I'm telling the truth he'll start undressing me with his eyes and picturing me with other women. Ed? No. Ed has enough going on, and he doesn't need to know. I think I should tell mom…_

"Hey," Ed started.

"What?" I snapped back.

"I was just going to ask a question."

"Yeah, sorry- go ahead."

"How's your mom and Kristina doing?"

"Oh," I said, as I thought about it, "Good. Kristina's been spiting up quite a bit."

Ed laughed, "How's she been sleeping, ok?"

"Yeah, well, you know, she's a baby." I said, dodging the question with a general summarization. Turns out, I guess I really don't know how well she's been sleeping. Guess I've been spending more time than I thought at Sara's.

"How you sleeping? Baby keeping you up?" Ed asked.

"No, I sleep like a rock."

"That's good." Ed replied, as Greg walked into the middle of the gym.

"Suit up Team One." Greg stated.

Spike came to a grinding halt on the treadmill. "Patrol?"

"No sir- Queen's Park."

"Queen's Park?" Ed asked. "Hot call?"

"No, Ed- there's a peaceful protest of secondary school teachers down there protesting against the Ontario government's wage freeze bill. On site security just wants to play it safe and wants us there in case things get out of hand."

"Alright, you heard the boss," Ed said, "Let's suit up."

* * *

><p>Once on scene, we all got out of the trucks.<p>

"Ok, me and Greg as alpha on patrol. Spike and Brad as bravo. Bravo will be static with the protesters."

"What about me?" I asked.

"Megan- you'll be sierra with less lethal and lethal if we need it. Spike- help her out with that."

"Copy that." I replied, as I put the MP5 in the back of the SUV and grabbed a rifle.

"Ok, Megan, see the building?" Spike asked over the radio.

"I see lots of buildings Spike, mind narrowing that down?"

"Enter the Provincial Parliament building, hail right, down one set of steps to the first basement, then you can take a service elevator to the roof."

"Copy that, Spikeman."

* * *

><p>Once in position, I radioed into both alpha and bravo units. Greg and Ed had already started patrolling and Brad and Spike were glued to the protesters.<p>

From above I could see it all.

One woman, when Spike had got close punched Spike in the chest. With ease, Spike placed her under arrest for obstruction of justice.

Whenever several MPPs came up to walk in the doors, Ed and Greg walked with them until they made it in the doors. Once in, they resumed their patrols.

"You see anything strange?" Ed radioed to me.

"One man, middle of the crowd- he's rummaging in a backpack. Can't see what he's doing. Looks suspicious."

"You copy that bravo?" Ed asked.

"Copy that alpha." Brad responded, "Bravo unit looking into it."

"And?" Ed asked.

There was a moment of silence over the radio. I saw Spike looking through the backpack as Brad placed the man in cuffs.

"What are they doing?" Ed asked me.

"Placing him under arrest." I informed, "Spike, what's going on?"

"Boss," Spike said, "Molotov cocktails. We should contact the public order unit."

"Will do." Greg said, as I saw him grab for his cellphone.

* * *

><p>"New deal, Team One," Ed ordered, "PO Unit is on route. We need to contain, search and detain if possible. Am I clear?"<p>

"Copy that." Spike said, "Starting containment now."

"Ed," I asked, "You want me on the ground?"

"Stay there, Sierra." Ed ordered, "Switch to lethal. Use your binos and locate any possible targets for bravo unit. Bravo unit will detain and search. Alpha will contain. Public Order Unit is here."

"Copy that."

I removed the detachable magazine from the rifle and inserted a different one. Once that was done, I grabbed for my binoculars from my drop pouch and scanned the crowd.

"To your left bravo, tall man, approximately six feet tall, medium build, looks like he has a…"

Then I saw the man pull a gun from his back and shoot into the air.

Ed and Greg ran forward with the Public Order Unit squad to the protesters.

"Sierra, do you have the solution?" Greg asked.

I took a hold of the rifle and attempted to find the man who had shot into the air.

"Negative alpha, no solution- he must have blended back into the crowd."

"Copy that, I'll pass onto the public order Sargent to proceed with caution. You have Scorpio if Priority of Life is threatened."

"Got it boss." I said, as I accepted the order.

I scanned the crowd with the scope.

"Bravo unit- possible gunman to your north flank."

"Solution?" Spike asked.

"Negative." Came my reply, "Civilians too close."

Greg came over the radio, "Bravo unit, fall back. Public Order will be firing nerve gas. You need to get out of there."

"Copy that." Brad confirmed, "Gunman in custody."

"Good work team one."


	56. Goddess I

Me and mom watched the news. We watched the news a lot recently, because of the suspected serial killer running around the city killing teenaged girls, and leaving them in public parks with their hands and feet bound together.

"The following images are deeply disturbing." The news anchor said, "Police are asking for the public's help in solving the savage murders of Kendra Plant, Hope Caesar, Juliet Prang, and Amy Yi. For Network News Eight, here is Fred Nesbruck, with Chief Criminal Investigator Khristopher Panes. Fred?"

"Thank you James. I'm with the Toronto Police Service's Chief Criminal Investigator. With the recent murders in the city, he is busier than usual. Is there anything you can tell us about the motives of the killer?"

"Thank you. Unfortunately, we do not have enough information to work with, which is exactly why we're asking for the public's help."

"Are you saying the investigations unit has no information?"

"We have information that we are currently still analyzing, but it always helps to have as much information as possible."

"What can you tell us about these murders? How can a person prevent this from happening to them?"

"Well, we believe that young women; specifically women in their mid to late teens are being targeted. The coroner's office reports that the cause of death in each case is severe trauma. We are encouraging teenagers to never walk to or from school alone, always walk with a friend and tell someone when you are leaving and when you are expected to arrive. With the help of the Strategic Response Unit, and the Anti-Crime Unit, both Durham and Centennial Colleges, along with the University of Toronto are providing self-defense training workshops. We also encourage all members of the public to report suspicious activity to the police so it may be properly investigated."

"Is there any recent information that you can share with the public concerning the case?"

"It appears that the person involved his 'marking' the victims by writing the word 'Goddess' on the woman's chest."

"Thank you Mr. Panes, back to you Fred, for sports."

* * *

><p>I looked over to mom, who was looking over at me.<p>

"That's sick." Jules said, "That's why I became a cop."

"Mom, I have to tell you something."

Then a knock came at the door.

Jules got up and answered the door. Sara came in.

"Hey Mrs. Perrasmith." She said, as she came in the door.

I stood up and walked up to Sara and Jules.

"Hey," Sara said to me, in a cute, sly voice, "You told her?"

But before I could answer, Sara kissed me.

"Oh, wow…" Jules said, as I kissed Sara back.

We stopped. I tried to evade Mom's eyes, but she caught mine, as I stared into her eyes.

"I'm…" I started.

"You and Sara?" Jules asked, without really saying it.

"Yeah." I answered.

"That's a lot to process." Jules said, as my cellphone rang.

"Hello?" I asked as I answered it.

"Megan," Ed's voice said, "We got upped to shift early."

"Alright. I'm coming in."

I hung up the phone.

"I got to go to work." I explained to mom and Sara.

Sara kissed me on the cheek and said, "Go get 'em babe."

_Yes, Sara- make it worse…_

* * *

><p>Once at work, I noticed a lot of the SRU Teams were here. After getting dressed I reported into Ed and the rest of the team.<p>

"SRU debriefing in five in the auditorium, let's go." Ed said, as we followed him.

In the auditorium we found a bunch of seats together and sat down. Once all the SRU Teams were seated, the Commander took the stage.

"Thank you for all coming in on such short notice, I won't keep you long. As all of you should know, there is a serial killer in the city. Mayor Rob Ford, along with the recommendation of the Board of Governors of the Toronto Police Service has suggested that the entire police force be put on high alert until the person responsible for the killings is behind bars. This means extra regular officers will be on duty. All threat level red 911 and dispatch calls will be responded to by both regular and SRU teams. The Strategic Response Unit will have two additional teams on duty as well. One Team will be on continuous patrol, while the other three will respond to call level red calls. Several media and online personalites and outlets are referring to the murderer as 'The Goddess', 'Goddess killer', et cetera. Please direct all questions to your respective team leader or Sargent."

Everybody started to leave, including Team One.

"Sargent Greg Parker, Team Leader Ed Lane, and Officer Megan Perrasmith, can you please come here?" the commander asked us.

"What's going on?" Spike asked, as he and Brad stood up.

"Couldn't tell you. You know something?" I asked.

"Nope." Spike answered, as he and Brad left.

I stepped onto the stage. Knowing that everyone but us was gone, I came out and bluntly asked, "Commander, what do you want?"

"I want you to listen, Officer Perrasmith."

"Ok." I answered, as the command has never spoken to me like that before.

"We know about your…" The commander started.

"Therapy?" I finished, "A little too late there, commander. My therapy is finished. I'm fine, thanks for asking."

"It's not that it's…" the commander started again.

"We know you're gay." Greg finished.

I stared into the eyes of Ed, Greg and the commander. _How do they know? I haven't even told anyone yet__, __unless…Kiera…_

"We know you're seeing someone too." Greg continued, "Which is fine. I have nothing against that. We're just requesting that you keep your gender bias and preference out of the workplace and not let it color your decisions in the field. Understand?"

"How do you…?" I started.

"We just do." Ed said, "Don't ask, it'll make it more complicated."

"So what?" I asked, as I ran the information through my head, "I'm gay. Yes, I'm gay. I'm dating a woman. I love her. You're telling me I can't use my own personal experiences, which is a requirement, when negotiating?"

"We just don't want you to be perceived wrong, that's all." Greg explained.

"So, wait, I'm talking down a suicidal teenaged boy because he's sexually confused, and I can't tell him that I'm gay, and that it's ok to be?"

"No, what I mean, Megan, is that you need to work on how you're going to integrate that experience into your negotiations without it trying to feel like you're pushing your beliefs onto someone else."

"You're thinking that I could convince someone to be gay?" I asked, "All due respect Sarge, but it's not a choice. It's the way people are- it's the way I am."

"And I wouldn't change it." Ed replied.

"Team One, hot call!" Winnie yelled over the intercom, "Man reporting that his daughter was followed home from school- could be the Goddess killer."

* * *

><p>"Winnie- what do we got?" Greg asked over the radio, as we deployed.<p>

"A young woman named Abby is currently being followed home from school. She used her cellphone to call her dad, and the dad called 911."

"Address?"

"Sending it to your PDAs." Winnie replied.

"Eddie," Greg said, "I'll head over to the home, get as much info as possible. Spike, get a GPS on Abby's cellphone, and see if you can get her on the line."

"Winnie, we got a last known on Abby?" Ed asked.

"When she called her father, she was walking south on Dundas."

"Tough neighborhood." I suggested, "It fits."

"Alright, me and Megan will go to the girl. Spike will cover intelligence and will speak to Abby if he can. Brad will second Spike."

"Copy that Ed." Brad replied.

We continued driving, and soon we were on Dundas.

"Ed, check your PDA- I got a picture of Abby."

I pulled out my PDA, as Ed was driving and took a good look at the picture, and showed it to Ed.

"What was she wearing today boss?" I asked.

"The father says that she had gym class last, so she might've changed- hard to say. She has a carrier style backpack…."

"Hold up, Ed- stop." I said, as I grabbed the last bit of info from Greg.

I got out of the truck, and went towards a dropped backpack.

"We got a white carrier style backpack here boss," Ed explained over the radio, "Any ID Megan?"

"ID in the backpack confirms its Abby's."

"Step on it, team one." Greg pushed us.

* * *

><p>We got back into the SUV, as I threw Abby's backpack into the rear seat.<p>

"Alpha unit proceeding south on Dundas, we got GPS bravo?" I radioed Spike.

"It's a pay-as-you-go phone, no GPS. I'm listening to her call she made to her father, see if we can get any location hits."

"I got Abby on the line!" Brad exclaimed over the radio.

"Spike, patch us in." Greg asked, as Spike ran the call so we can all hear the conversation over our headsets.

"Abby-" Brad started, "My name is Brad Mattice, and I'm with the police Strategic Response Unit. Are you ok?"

"I'm fine."

"Is it safe for you to be talking to me?"

"I think so."

"The man- is he still following you?"

"Yes."

"How close is he to you?"

"About 20 feet."

"Ok, that's great. You're doing great Abby. My team-mates, Megan and Ed, they'll be there soon to help you, but I need to know where you are."

"Bike path of off Dundas going south."

"Up here, Ed," I said, as we pulled up to where the bike path said, "Brad- where exactly?"

"Ok, Abby," Brad spoke again, "My team is really close but we need to know exactly where you are. Look around- what do you see?"

"I see- trees. A lot of trees. They're pine trees."

"Pine trees…" Spike repeated over the radio, as Brad continued to reassure Abby that she was going to be ok, "That bike path goes right through the tree plantation where they cut down the Christmas trees. That's gotta be it."

"Copy that, on our way." Ed said, as we ran down the bike path, in full gear with firearms.

* * *

><p>We continued on. After a slight bend in the path, I could see Abby's outline, slowly walking away, and a tall heavyset man between us.<p>

"Megan, you cut through the trees and pass the man, and secure Abby." Ed informed, "I will come behind and secure the suspect."

"Ed, please be careful." Greg requested.

"I'll do my best boss."

I silently ran into the trees and got up to Abby. She must've heard the branches against my uniform as she looked right at me. I put my index finger to my mouth, as a sign to stay quiet.

"I'm on Abby's nine." I muttered into the radio, "I've made contact. Ed- you in position?"

"Copy that- on three- two, one…"

In one movement, I leapt out of the trees behind Abby and quickly moved her into the treeline and stayed in front of her.

Meanwhile, Ed came behind the suspect and yelled, "Hand's where I can see them, do it now, do it now!"

"Strategic Response Unit- show us your hands!" I yelled.

The man brought his hands up, as he stayed in one place, as Ed put a pair of cuffs on him.

"Following girls around eh?" Ed asked, "You the guy we're all looking for?"

I looked over to Abby who looked scared, so I came closer to her and said, "It's going to be ok, you're safe now."

"Boss, suspect in custody." Ed said.

"I'm not a suspect." The man said.

"Why you following a girl around?" Ed questioned.

"I wasn't…"

"If you weren't following her, than what where you doing, following the same path as her from her school?" I asked.

"Look-" the man said, "My name is Chase Prang- that was my cousin that was killed. I saw a girl walking alone- I just wanted to make sure she got to wherever she was going ok, ok?"

"You should have asked her first, if she wanted a chaperone." I suggested.

"I was just trying to do the right thing. Can you take the cuffs off now?"

"Nope." Ed said, "We're just doing the right thing."

* * *

><p>After shift, I was making my way back home, when I received a call over the Bluetooth system in the truck. I quickly looked at the caller display on the radio before I answered.<p>

_Sara._

"Hi." I answered.

"Hey you. What's up?"

"Not much, on my way home. Look about-"

"Yeah, I'm sorry." Sara apologized, "I should've waited until you gave me the call clear."

"It's ok." I said, "The brass at work has me under a microscope because they found out about you."

"What?" Sara asked, "Because you're gay, or because you're dating me?"

"A bit of both."

"Are you breaking up with me?"

"No," I said, "I love you."

"I love you too. My place tonight?"

"Why not mine, seeing as my mom knows now, right?"

"Ok."

* * *

><p>After I got home, and changed, Sara came over and had dinner with us. Mom seemed to accept the revealed secret and Sara.<p>

"So, Sara, what do you do?" Jules asked.

Sara gave me a sideways glance with a smile. I laughed, hoping mom wouldn't catch it.

"I mean, other than my step-daughter." Jules clarified.

"I'm a paramedic."

"Oh, do you know Steve?"

"Steve Hall, from the 'Hat?" Sara asked, "Yeah, I know him."

"Yeah, that's him. I went to high school with him." Jules answered.

"Oh, is he you're…ex-husband?"

"No…"Jules started," Megan, you didn't tell your girlfriend?"

"What?" Sara asked.

"Sara-"I started, "My dad- he was a cop. He met my mom when they were both in Team One of SRU."

"Where is your dad?" Sara asked.

"He died."

Sara got up and gave me a hug. "I'm sorry, hun." She said.

"You really do love each other?" Jules asked us.

"Yeah." I said, as I kissed Sara's hand, "I do."

"Then hold onto it, Meg. True love only comes once in a lifetime."


	57. Goddess II

After dinner, Megan and Sara watched TV downstairs. I was going to watch TV with them, but they wanted to watch a movie and it seemed like they wanted some alone time together.

As weird as it is to see them together, I'm not going to get in their way. For one thing, Megan is an adult, and so is Sara, so they should be able to make their own decisions. Also, as much as I call Megan my daughter, and she calls me her mother- I'm not. I'm only her step mother. Her dad's gone, and so is her biological mother. To top it all off- they truly do love each other. I can see it in their eyes. And like I said at dinner- they shouldn't let that go.

So I decided to take Kristina upstairs and into my room to breastfeed her as I watched the news.

I'm always watching the news. Maybe it because it makes me feel connected to the world, when all I am, is a lonely housewife, attending to her baby daughter, and grown up step daughter, who loves a woman.

Ok, so maybe the world has come to me a bit, but I still don't get out much. I still have about 10 pounds of baby fat, that isn't going anywhere- but not for lack of trying. The 20 minute stroller walks help.

"And, now, the latest, local news."

"Tragedy has struck again. The Toronto Police Services Unit 47 Division officers currently have the entirety of Community Park taped off, with several criminal investigators working in the background. When News5 cameras tried to get close, we were politely asked by the officers on scene to turn the cameras off. The Toronto Police Services have yet to officially release any details of the incident, but several onlookers had the same idea."

The camera snapped to see an older, shorter woman, "I think it's the serial killer they say is going around."

Again, the camera snapped to another woman, "Oh, it's definitely the Goddess killer."

The camera came back to the news anchor.

"According to the Toronto Police Services, the serial killer, that has been aptly named the 'Goddess' killer, as the person writes the word 'Goddess' on all of their victims has taken the lives of Kendra Plant, Hope Caesar, Juliet Prang and Amy Yi. Both Kendra Plant and Hope Caesar were found in High Park, a few days apart from each other. Last week Juliet Prang was found in Fortier Park, and on the Monday past, Amy Yi was found in Scarborough's G.H. Anchor Park. Earlier in the week, News5 spoke to Toronto Police Services President & CEO Chris Walker via phone."

The screen went to the static picture of Chris Walker, as it they played back part of this interview, "There isn't much I can say, but will say that the entirety of the Toronto Police Services- including the Anti-Crimes Unit, Guns & Gangs, Strategic Response Unit and K9 units are working in concert with each other to bring justice to Toronto. We can't help but continue to thank the hundreds of people who have phoned our hotline with information and tips, all of which are being put to use."

"News5 has recently heard that the Strategic Response Unit had responded to a call earlier today, that was suspected to be the Goddess killer, as it was a man calling to 911 dispatch that his daughter was being followed after leaving school for the day- News5 News Anchor Keith, has more."

"Thank you Robin. I'm with Grant Mirabel, whose daughter; Abby was followed home by an older man. So Mr. Mirabel, you indeed called 911?"

"Yes, Keith, I did call 911. My daughter called me, and she told me she was pretty sure that someone was following her, and that she was scared. I immediately called the police."

"And how long did it take the Strategic Response Unit to respond?"

"They were here within minutes."

"Do you know if the Strategic Response Unit made an arrest from the incident today, and if it was the killer?"

"They did tell me that they did arrest someone, but they didn't tell me who it was."

"Thank you for your time Mr. Mirabel."

"Thank you, Keith."

"Back to you Robin."

"Thanks Keith. The Toronto Police Services Strategic Response Unit news blotter has just announced that a Chase Prang was detained for following Abby Mirabel, but was released pending charges. As well, Toronto Police Services, Police Inspector Brent Stainton, is downtown now, making a press release on the situation at Community Park. The News5 news team has you covered."

The camera switched to a camera focused on Inspector Stainton, at the downtown office, in the press room, making a press release to a series of cameras, with a wide array of news microphones in front of him, like CTV, News5, CNN and even more.

"At 4:13pm tonight, the body of Claire Romeo was found in Community Park by a passerby. The Toronto Police Services Criminal Investigations Unit's investigation is still ongoing, but it has been confirmed that the suspect remains the same as to the previous murders of Kendra Plant, Hope Caesar, Juliet Prang, and Amy Yi. From myself and all of Toronto Police Services, our sincere sympathies go out to the Romeo family, and all the other families involved. The police are still asking for the public's help- if you know anything about, or have seen anything about the death of Claire Romeo, or any of the others, to please call, toll free, 1-800-TPS-0911, or 1-800-877-0911. Thank you."

The camera came back to the news anchor named Robin.

"News5 will keep you updated on the situation."

_That's sickening. _Jules thought. _How can someone run around town, killing young women like that? How many will it take? Whoever, it is- they're up to five now._

I turned off the TV, and lifted Kristina up, as she was finished breastfeeding for the night.

Leaning back on the chair, with Kristina in my arms, I shut my eyes.

From across the hall, and through our two bedroom doors, I could hear Sara and Megan moaning loudly. I didn't have to be in the room to know exactly what they were doing.


	58. Goddess III

"Is this all I have?" she screamed at Megan, "When I leave my house, I worry if I'll make it home. When I leave school, I'm looking over my back constantly. I don't want to live in fear!"

"You don't have to be afraid, Rebecca, and you do not have to die today." Megan tried to convince the high school senior from killing herself.

* * *

><p>The alarm went off.<p>

_Turn it off. Get up. Turn on computer, check cell phone. No messages, no missed calls. I have to pee, but I'd rather check my emails first._

_5 new emails._

_One junk email from a magazine I used to subscribe to- Robotics Monthly. It has nothing against the weekly Robotics Newsletter from Canadian Robotics Online. Take that Robotics Monthly._

_A forwarded 'you will die in 5 days if you don't do this' email from Ed. Deleted. I know what I'll be doing in five days- I'll be playing Black Ops II on PS3._

_An email from my mom in Italy- turns out she knows how to turn that laptop on. If only she knew to turn capslock off. Not much new in Italy. Mom made some scones yesterday and some guy with a moustache down the road made a pizza._

_An email from Brad with the subject "Check this out"- it's a picture he snapped at the bar last night of two girls kissing. Grow up Brad. They were probably just doing it for the attention._

_And finally- a custom email reminder. 6 months. 6 months ago, my friend and colleague, Perra was shot._

_I suppose I don't need the email reminder._

_Let's slide on over to Facebook._

_3 notifications and a message._

_Notifications first._

_First one- friend request from Sara Otterman. 1 friend in common- Megan Perrasmith. Hmmm- sure, why not. She seems cute. Maybe Megan could hook us up._

_A Farmville update from Ed Lane. No Ed, I will not buy your pig._

_Finally- Kevin Wordsworth commented on my status, "I've lived in Toronto for 15 years, and I'm going to the Hockey Hall of Fame for the first time tomorrow." Wordy's comment was "A little less computer and more hockey Scarlatti."_

_And now the message- from Sam Braddock. 'Hey Spike. I just re-activated my Facebook account a few days ago. What's up with all these goofy games now? Anyways- my parole officer says I have to get a job soon or I'm going back to jail. I tried getting back into TPS, but they won't let me back in unless Megan descends the restraining order and accepts my apology. So I think I'm going to apply to a security job at the MSQ Centre. Just thought I'd keep you updated, since you're still a character reference on my resume.'_

_Done checking Facebook. I should check twitter. Wait no- I should get ready for work. Hold on a second- didn't I say I had to go to the washroom?_

_Yeah, I better go before I piss myself._

* * *

><p>I pulled into work, just behind Ed. I parked right beside him, and we got out of our vehicles at the same time.<p>

"You know, Spike, I think they make newer cars than a 1992 Pontiac Sunfire." Ed jested.

"Laugh all you want Ed," I said, as we walked up to the doors, "But my baby has never let me down. Tell me- when was the last time your Ford was in the shop?"

"Last week, when I needed to get another dent fixed that Clark put in it."

"Something mechanical."

"Uhhh, needed a new timing belt about a month ago."

"Yeah?" I asked, as I opened my locker, and started getting dressed, "Serpentine belt in my car- never been replaced. Same AC Delco belt that it had when it came out of the factory."

"Spike, that's not a good thing." Ed said.

"What's not a good thing?" Brad asked, as he came and opened his locker and started getting dressed too.

"Spike's car." Ed commented.

"You get that picture I sent you?" Brad asked.

"Yeah, I did." I replied, "Grow up Brad."

"He sent you a picture?" Of what?" Ed asked.

"Two girls kissing at the bar last night." Brad said.

"How come I'm not on your email list?" Ed asked jokingly.

"Ed," I said, "You're married, and have two kids, do you really want an immature dofus emailing you pictures of drunk chicks making out?"

"Good point Spike." Ed thanked.

"Decent?" came a woman's voice.

I looked at myself, Brad and Ed- both of which nodded yes.

"Yeah, we're good." I yelled out.

Megan walked in and sat on the bench.

"Howdy boys." Megan said with a smile, "Ed."

"What I'm not a boy?" Ed asked with a smile.

"Ed, you were a boy about 30 years ago."  
>"I'm not that old."<p>

"Not yet anyways." Megan commented.

That made me laugh.

"The boss in yet?" Brad asked.

"Yeah," Megan said, "He's in his office. Why?"

"Just wondering." Brad said, as he finished getting dressed, and sat down to put on his boots.

"Ok then," Megan spoke, "I will see you guys in the gym. I made a bet with Winnie- I bet two bucks that we'll get a call related to the Goddess killer today, and she thinks we won't. Anybody else in?"

When nobody replied to her, she left.

"That's one girl I'd like to see making out with another." Brad suggested.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I'd like to see Megan making out with a…."

"Let's shut this conversation down, gentlemen," Ed said, as he finished suiting up and went to leave, "Gym in 120 seconds, or you'll be cleaning the windows."

"What's his problem?" Brad asked.

"Don't know, don't care," I replied, "I just don't want to clean any windows."

* * *

><p>We all assembled in the gym where Ed promptly decided to hit the bench press. Brad decided to spot him.<p>

Megan came out of the women's locker room and sat beside me.

"How you doing?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" she asked me.

"Your dad- six months to the day."

"I'm ok, Spike, thanks."

"I'm here if you ever need to talk, ok?"

She looked into my eyes. "You're a good guy Spike."

"Good enough for you to hook me up with Sara Otterman?" I asked.

Megan seemed startled when I mentioned the name, "How do you know her?"

"She sent me a friend request on Facebook."

"Oh," Megan said, "Yeah, Spike, she's not your type."

I stood up, as Greg entered the gym. Megan followed suit.

"What is my type?" I asked.

"Geeky, glasses, and knows her way around an Xbox360 CPU."

"So, essentially nobody." I said.

"Don't worry Spike, you'll meet someone soon enough."

"At least we're single together."

"I'm not single anymore Spike." Megan mentioned.

"Megan Perrasmith off the market? Who's the lucky guy?" I questioned.

"You'll meet her soon enough." Megan said, as Greg called us in for our morning debriefing.

"Her?" I questioned.

Without so much of a glance, Megan answered, "It's a euphemism- the sex is that good."

* * *

><p>"Ok team," Greg debriefed, "Today we're on station detail."<p>

"Station detail?" I asked.

"Yeah Spike- we're assigned to stay at the station unless there is a code red 911 or dispatch call. Were you even paying attention at the SRU debriefing the other day?" Megan explained.

"Uhm…"

"Don't answer that." Ed suggested.

"Boss," Winnie yelled over to Greg from the dispatcher's desk, "I got a suicide call…"

"Team six is on patrol."

"The commander wants a team on patrol at all times, and my orders are to keep it that way."

"Alright," Greg said, "Send the info to our PDAs."

"Winnie- make that a hot call!" Ed yelled out, as we jogged to the garage.

I jumped into the passenger's seat of one SUV, while Megan jumped in as my driver. Greg drove the command truck, while Ed and Brad were in the other SUV.

"Suicidal young woman at Eastbrook High School, uniforms are maintaining a perimeter."

"Let's get a full evac of Eastbrook, Winnie." Ed demanded over the radio.

"Copy that, sending the order to the uniforms."

"We got a name Winnie?" I asked, as I pulled out a laptop, "I can get started on our profile."

"Coming to you in five minutes."

"Copy that." Greg informed, "SRU is 3 minutes out."

* * *

><p>Once on scene, I followed Megan, Greg, and Ed into the command truck, while Brad assisted the uniforms in the evacuation.<p>

"Talked to the staff, the girl's name is Rebecca Berger." Greg said, "Tac plan, Eddie?"

"We're talking her down-" Ed said, "Brad- how's the evac going?"

"Beautiful." Brad summarized over the radio, "Uniforms are doing their final sweep."

"Great stuff." Ed said, "Me and Brad are spotters from below."

"Megan will start the suicide intervention, and I'll second her. We got a location yet Spike?"

I clicked away on the keyboards and brought up a copy of the floor plans of the school- "She's on the flat roof garden off of 3rd floor- she'll see you if you come the same way she did, so go up to fourth floor and take the external fire escape ladder onto the flat roof- that'll bring you within 20 feet."

"Anyway of getting closer?" Greg asked me.

"Only other way would be to climb up from the second floor teacher's lounge balcony to the third floor flat roof."

"Fire escape ladder it is then." Greg said, as he led the way out of the truck, with Megan in tow, "Blueprints to the PDAs, Spike."

"Copy that, sending now."

"You start the profiling yet?" Ed asked.

"Starting it now-" I said, as I did a general google search of Rebecca's name and started an IP location tag search to her home address.

"I got a Facebook, twitter, Mypsace, and fanfiction accounts." I informed.

"FanFiction, what's that?" Ed asked.

"You take the characters and plots from movies, TV shows, or other popular media and you write your own stories."

"Sounds interesting."

"Any online suicide notes?" Greg asked over the radio.

"Nothing yet, boss, still looking. I'm going into the school's database to get her home address- I'll send a cruiser for her parents, to see why she might be doing this."

"Good job, Spike." Greg applauded, "You continue profiling and talk to the parents, ok?"

"Got it." I replied.

Brad came into the truck. "Evacuation is finished Ed."

"Alright, let's go spot Megan and the boss." Ed replied, as they left.

I continued searching through Rebecca's internet pages, and finally I got clearance from the IP location tag search to go through her computer's internet browsing history remotely.

"Ok, Megan, I got something."

"Go ahead Spike." She said, "We're 10 seconds out from contact, so make it quick."

"Got it- she's been reading a lot of online articles and blogs about the Goddess killer, and she's even posted on some forums about it."

Based on the fact that Megan didn't reply, I could only assume that she had started talking to Rebecca. Problem being is that she forgot to turn on ambient mode, so I can't pick up what both Megan and Rebecca are saying.

"Boss, Megan forgot to engage ambient." I radioed to Greg.

"Copy that, Spike- anything else?"

"Rebecca's mom just got here- I'll talk to her."

"Copy that."

The door of the truck opened, and a woman entered, I proceeded to show her to a chair. Before I started talking, I made sure my radio was on ambient mode.

"Mrs. Berger-" I started.

"Please, call me Diane."

"Diane- do you know why you're here right now?"

"The officer told me that my daughter is threatening to kill herself."

"Ok. Is there anything we should know- is your daughter taking any medications, specifically medications for depression, anxiety, or any other mental illness?"

"No, nothing. She's a straight A kid."

"Smart kid?" I asked, trying to bond with Diane.

"More than smart- brilliant."

"That's good to know, Diane." I continued, "Has she been under any stress lately? Has she met anyone new?"

"She's a quiet kid- she has a few friends, but not very many."

"Ok, that's good." I said, as I turned off ambient and radioed in, "Megan- she's a smart kid, so she'll be able to tell if you're lying to her. Might be socially isolated, pours her attention into her studies."

"That's a good thing." Diane pointed out.

"Yes, I know Diane." I encouraged, "What has she been studying or reading lately?"

"Everything and anything- she loves to learn. She's been talking a lot about those killings lately though."

"Are you aware of her internet usage, and what she posts on the internet?"

"I know she has a Facebook, page and that's about it." She admitted.

"Ok- are you aware that she has strong opinions on the serial killer? I'm reading several posts she made on an online forum in discussion of the killer, one post says, and I quote, 'it is things like this who make young people like me afraid to leave my house.' You catch that boss?"

"Got it," Greg said, "She's a smart, socially isolated teenager, and when the world around her becomes scary enough, she doesn't want to go outside anymore."

"She's projecting." I summarized.

"That's exactly right." Greg radioed back, "She doesn't want to go outside, or even go to school anymore, because there's the risk she could be murdered. School and learning is a lot to her, so when she thinks that's no longer an option, she turns to death."

Suddenly, I could hear Megan and Rebecca talking. _Megan must've finally realized her radio wasn't in ambient mode._

"Is this all I have?" Rebecca screamed, "When I leave my house, I worry if I'll make it home. When I leave school, I'm looking over my back constantly. I don't want to live in fear!"

"You don't have to be afraid, Rebecca, and you do not have to die today." Megan said convincingly.

"You don't get it!" Rebecca replied.

"Yes, I do Rebecca!"

"We got a jumper!" Brad exclaimed over the radio.

* * *

><p>I stared at the screens.<p>

"Brad- 10-5 your last." I requested.

"She jumped-" Brad said, "Hit pavement doing over 50 kilometers an hour."

"Copy that."

I looked over to Diane. "Diane, you have to strong, ok?"

"Why? What's going on?" she asked.

"Your daughter just killed herself. I'm sorry for your loss."

* * *

><p>"12:29, paramedics on scene pronounced Rebecca Berger dead on scene." Greg said, as he read out the log book, "You ok Megan?"<p>

"Yeah," Megan said, who looked flustered, "I guess I just didn't connect in the right way."

"It's ok. We all have our moments." Greg replied.

"So what, this killer has personally killed five kids, and drove another one to suicide? How long is going to go on?" Ed asked.

"We need to change our style." Brad suggested, "Police needs to put out a city wide warrant for this guy's arrest."

"You don't think they haven't thought of that?" Ed asked.

"It's my fault she died." Megan stated.

No one spoke, as if to tell her it wasn't her fault. I felt the need to say something.

"No, it's mine."

"Spike- what are you saying?" Greg asked.

"I was the one building the profile- I was stuck on a social engineering standpoint, when it really was an emotional dilemma because of her fear and…"

"It's no one's fault." Ed finalized, "She was suicidal. She was the one who finally jumped. If she wouldn't have jumped today, she would've swallowed pills tomorrow, or put a bullet in her spine the next day. She had the thought and the desire to die, and despite our best efforts, we could not help her by overriding those thoughts and desires."

"It's no one's fault." Greg parroted.

"Five murders, and one suicide- all orchestrated by the same person-"Megan said, "The same person."

Megan got up and grabbed the envelope and signed the seal. "There's somewhere- no, someone I need to see."


	59. Goddess IV

"Alright- aggressive entry with Unit 55 on our tails." Ed informed.

"Target?" Spike asked.

"Neil Valadrez, a recent immigrant to Canada from Mexico. Known to the Mexican authorities as a child molester back in the 80s, and most recently for attempted assault with a weapon and attempted assault to cause bodily harm." Greg told us.

"And they let guys like that into Canada?" Brad said, as we were all thinking it, "I thought our crime rate was bad enough, and they're letting people like this in?"

"Immigrations Canada hasn't issued him permanent status yet," I said, as I punched the suspect's name into my PDA, "Looks like their decision is hinging on what happens today."

"Let's protect the peace!" Ed exclaimed.

* * *

><p>Me and Sara held each other close. We were in my bed.<p>

"I love you." I said.

"Right back at you, babe." she replied, "I don't want this moment to end."

"Me neither." I spoke as I smelt her red hair. It smells like vanilla-coconut.

"It's going to have to end soon." Sara said, "I have to go home, shower, and get ready for work."

"Darn," I said with a smile, "There goes the hope of trying that…"

"You know," Sara interrupted, "We should move in together."

The suggestion took me by surprise, but I just rolled with it, "Where?"

"My place." Sara suggested, "Master bedroom with an attached bath with a Jacuzzi tub. An extra bedroom for…"

"For what?"

"I'd like to have kids someday." Sara said, "You?"

I have thought about having kids before. Just not with Sara. _I'll avoid the question by asking a question._

"How would that work?"

"Sperm bank or we could adopt."

"Who would carry?"

"Why don't we figure that out?" Sara said with a giggle, as she rolled me over, and came out on top, as we proceeded to make love.

* * *

><p>Sara quickly reached for her clothes as she quickly got dressed.<p>

"Damn- I'm going to be late." She said, "Unless- you mind if I shower here?"

I smiled, "Go for it."

"You're a lifesaver, babe." She said, as she quickly put on her shirt, kissed my forehead, and darted into the hallway and for the bathroom.

Once she was gone I started to get dressed myself.

_I love her. I really do. But do I love her enough to live with her? I don't know. We're moving kind of fast, aren't we?_

"Hey Megan." A voice said from behind me.

Half nude, I instinctively grabbed for my sheet and wrapped it tightly around me.

As I spun around, mom was in my room with Kristina.

"Oh, maybe I should've knocked." Jules said.

"Yeah, you think?" I snapped back, regretting it instantly, "Sorry."

"It's ok. You have the right to some privacy. Privacy and all though, can you watch Kristina for a bit while I do a few things?"

"Yeah sure." As I took Kristina.

As soon as my mom left the room, I let the sheet fall, as I put Kristina on the bed and finished getting dressed.

_Ok, so maybe I wouldn't have to put up with my mom's nosey intrusions into my privacy if I lived with Sara. Not like it's a big deal. Well, I suppose it couldn't have killed her to knock first. Right? Maybe I'm overthinking this, like I do everything. I'm gay. I like women. I love Sara. She loves me. It feels like she's a part of me that I've been missing my entire life. Maybe I should move in with her._

I picked up Kristina, who was trying to gnaw on my sheets, as I tried to fix some of her brown hair that's growing like a weed.

"Life sure is simple when you're 4 months old, eh?"

"See?" Sara said from the doorframe, as she used a hair tie to tie her damp hair into a ponytail, "You're a natural."

"I don't think I would want to be pregnant." I admitted, "But yeah, I see your point."

"About?"

"Moving in together."

Sara smiled, as she gave me a kiss, "Talk more about it after work, ok babe?"

I smiled back, "Sure thing, sexy."

* * *

><p>I got ready for work and went into SRU headquarters. I was early, but there was something I wanted to do first.<p>

I walked down the hallway, and entered Greg's office. He was sitting at his desk working on some paperwork.

"Keeping busy boss?" I asked.

"I do what I can. What's up?"

"Can we talk?"

"Sure thing." Greg said, as I took a seat.

"How did you, Ed, and Mr. H find out?"

"About you?" Greg asked, "Ed said, the less you knew…."

"I need to know."

"Why?"

"It's complicated, boss." I said, "The only people who know are me, mom, Sara-"

"And Sara would be?" Greg interrupted.

"My girlfriend. Only me, mom, Sara, you, Ed and Hollerand know. I want to…I need to know."

"We had reason to believe that you were hiding something that could affect your job, so we investigated it."

"What gave you the reason to believe?"

"Brad. The night we went to the bar- he didn't drink at all. He saw you leave with her."

"So Brad sees me leaving with a woman and SRU decides to investigate? That's a bit personal, don't you think?"

"He went above my head Megan," Greg explained, "He went right to the Commander with it. I had no choice. You're not going to try to…"

"No, of course not." I reasoned, "Does he know?"

"No. All he knows was that the situation was investigated."

"Perfect, thanks boss."

* * *

><p>I went to the equipment cage to get a replacement battery for my radio, as mine was on the outs. Low and behold- Brad was there, field stripping a rifle- although having some difficulty with it.<p>

I put my radio on the bench, as I grabbed a similar rifle off the wall. "Here, you just extract the bolt, examine the bore, examine the bolt and but it back in." I said, as I quickly showed him and chambered a round into the rifle, and took the safety off, "Then check to make sure the safety goes on and off."

"Thanks." Brad said, "I didn't think there'd come a day where a woman would know more about guns than me."

I still had the rifle in my hands. That last comment pissed me off. I still had the gun in my hands. I bit my anger back and placed it back on the rack.

"I know."

"Know what?" Brad asked.

"I know that you went to the Commander and he had me investigated. You want to know what he found out?"

"I'm not asking for anything, and I don't expect you to share your secrets, ok?"

I looked into his eyes, "Right answer."

* * *

><p>I watched carefully, as I saw Brad, Spike, followed by Ed and Greg enter the men's locker room.<p>

As soon as Greg entered, I went in behind him.

Spike saw me first, "Hey you're supposed to ask first."

"Sorry, this won't take long." I said, "Some of you know a close secret about me. We're a team, we shouldn't keep secrets from each other- it's not healthy."

"You memorized Micheal Jackson's 'Beat It'?" Spike laughed.

I laughed. _Spike's good at making people laugh._

"No, it's…I'm gay."

I looked up to see their reactions. Both Ed and Greg were feinting being surprised. They were bad at it. Brad stopped halfway of buttoning his shirt and just stared at me. Spike looked at me, blinked a few times and said, "You mean for textbooks, right?"

"No, Spike. I'm gay. I like women."

"That's….that's news." Spike said, as he wrapped his mind around it.

"I'm actually dating someone- her name is Sara. I love her. We're thinking of moving in together."

* * *

><p>While the team was still trying to take in the information I gave them, Winnie came in.<p>

"What's up with them?" Winnie asked, as both Ed and Greg were doing their best to avoid eye contact with me, and Brad and Spike were still staring at me.

"They're absorbing some big news." I said, "What's up?"

"Unit 55 just dropped this off for Greg." Winnie said, as she held up a file folder.

"For me?" Greg asked, as he took the folder and looked through it quickly, "Team, debriefing room, in five minutes. Ed- walk with me."

Both Ed and Greg left the locker room. Spike went back to putting on his uniform as Brad was still staring at me.

"What's with him?" Winnie asked.

"I'm.." I started, but Spike tried to interrupt by saying "Don't say it again!"

"I'm gay." I finished.

Winnie grinned. "Girls?"

"Yeah."

"Nothing wrong with that. Like what you see?"

"I'm actually dating someone."

"Rock on girl!" Winnie said, as we walked out of the men's locker room together.

* * *

><p>We all assembled in the debriefing room.<p>

"What's up?" I asked since nobody was talking to each other.

"Undercover unit 55 has been working closely with the crime lab. They believe they got a lead on the murders." Greg said.

Again, nobody said anything.

"Where?" I asked.

"145 Charles Street."

"What's the tactical plan?" I asked.

Both me and Greg looked to Ed.

Ed looked at me. "Alright-aggressive entry with Unit 55 on our tails."

"Target?" Spike asked, ending the code of silence.

"Neil Valadrez, a recent immigrant to Canada from Mexico. Known to the Mexican authorities as a child molester back in the 80s, and most recently for attempted assault with a weapon and attempted assault to cause bodily harm." Greg told us.

"And they let guys like that into Canada?" Brad asked, as we were all thinking it, "I thought our crime rate was bad enough, and they're letting people like this in?"

I pulled out my PDA and started searching the name, "Immigrations Canada hasn't issued him permanent status yet, looks like their decision is hinging on what happens today."

"Unit 55 thinks Valadrez is the Goddess killer?" Spike confirmed.

"That pretty much sums it up Scarlatti." Greg said, "We got a warrant for his arrest whether we find evidence he's the killer or not. Turns out Immigrations wants to have a chat with him."

"They can't knock on his door themselves?" I asked.

"Guess not, Meg." Ed said, "Me and Megan as alpha, Spike, Brad, and the boss on bravo. This is a story and half house, with a lot of rooms, so no mistakes. Valadrez is wanted alive and well, so we are less lethal all around- tasers, batons, rubber bullets, flashbangs and suppression gas if we really need it."

"Got it." Me, Spike and Brad said in unison.

"Let's protect the peace!" Ed exclaimed.

* * *

><p>With several Unit 55 officers supporting us, we surrounded the house.<p>

"Boss, you want to try a peaceful surrender first?" Ed suggested.

"Worth a try, if you want." Greg whispered to him, as he grabbed for his megaphone.

I hefted the door sledge in my hands, "What, I won't get to bust down a door?"

"You know Meg, you and your dad both had a thing for busting down doors. What's with that?"

"Dad was a Taurus and I'm Cancer." I said, "What else is there to tell?"

Greg brought up the megaphone and pressed the actuating trigger.

"Mr. Neil Valadrez of 145 Charles Street, this is the police Strategic Response Unit. We have your home surrounded- please surrender peacefully or we will be entering your home."

Suddenly the front door opened.

"Door, door, door, door!" Ed yelled as I ran up and pulled Mr. Valadrez out and cuffed him.

As soon as I did that, Ed, Spike, Greg, Brad and several other Unit 55 officers entered the house to search for evidence that he was the Goddess murderer.

"No evidence of the Goddess murders." Spike said, as he came back out and told me.

"This is because of that?" Valadrez asked, in a thick Mexican accent, "I am not a killer, you uncuff me now. That is your job, do your job- uncuff me."

I hauled Neil Valadrez to his feet and slammed him against the exterior wall. "Are you telling me how to do my job sir?"

"You do your job, cockroach, uncuff me!"

I spun him around so he could see my face. "That's crossing the line- cross it again, and you'll be charged with verbal assault and uttering threats to a police officer."

"Uncuff me!" he yelled, as he saw Ed walk up to us, "You have key, you uncuff!"

"I don't think so Mr. Valadrez- Immigrations Canada, they want to talk. Don't get too comfy there either, because the Criminal Investigations Unit will be coming to your house, and they'll be swabbing every inch of this place. If they so much of find a dead skin cell of Kendra, Hope, Juliet, Amy or Claire, you're looking at serious jail time."


	60. Goddess V

"Vehicle belongs to a Duncan Ranger. CIU and Unit 55 have him flagged- doesn't say why." Spike chimed in from my passenger seat.

"Spike-make some calls, find out why."

"Does it matter, Ed?" I asked over the radio, as I inched closer to the vehicle, "We know he has a female hostage and might have a weapon."

"Good point."

* * *

><p>Mom drove me into work. I had decided to trade in my dad's truck that I had inherited, for a small, fuel efficient car. Since the car was new, it still needed to be prepared for pickup, so I had no vehicle until 1700 hours tonight.<p>

I knew Jules had some sort of interview with someone at SRU. She didn't tell me who. After getting into the main doors, I went for the women's locker room, while Jules continued on to the administration hallway.

* * *

><p>Jules walked down the administration hallway. She was nervous, but it didn't show. She got to the door she wanted to and stepped in.<p>

"Julianna Callihan?" the woman said behind the desk, as she looked at the clock on the wall, "You're early."

"Better early than late." Jules nervously said before sitting down.

"Ok," the woman said, as she grabbed a file folder and opened it, "Just some preliminary questions- You are related to Mrs. Megan Perrasmith, correct?"

"Yes."

"In what capacity?"

"Step mother."

"Your husband, Kristopher Perrasmith, has passed away?"

"Yes."

"Sorry for your loss, Mrs. Perrasmith. Ok- now the real questions."

"Bring it on." Jules said with enthusiasm.

"So you've been an SRU member for several years, and you're coming back from time off. Without getting into too much detail, what was the purpose of the time off and are you a dedicated team member?"

"I was on bereavement leave from the death of my husband, which then extended into pregnancy leave- and yes, I am a team member, I was a team member of SRU Team One for several years."

"Congratulations." The woman said, "Boy or girl?"

"Girl."

"What makes you want to come back to SRU in this capacity?"

"Like I've said, I was a member of Team One for several years, and I worked hard to become an SRU member. I'm not letting that go to waste."

"Why not come back as a member of Team One?" the recruiter asked.

"My step-daughter, Megan is a member of Team One. If I pulled rank and came back, she would have to be re-assigned to another team. She has been very successful, and I don't want to over-shadow her."

"Ok," the recruiter said, as she made notes in the file, "Now, you did admit that your husband had passed away. Would that emotional trauma affect your work?"

"I don't feel comfortable answering that question." Jules admitted, "But if you want to know if I'm fit for duty, you're more than welcome to ask my therapist- Laura Green, SRU psychiatrist."

"Is that the same reason why you don't want to come back in the role of an officer- because you may see something in the field that may trigger an emotional response?"

"No- I have a 5 month old baby girl. I realized that I want to see her take her first steps, and be there when she comes home from school for the first time. An SRU Officer puts themselves in the line of fire to save the lives of other people. How can I be there for my baby girl when there's a chance that I might not make it home from a shift?"

"Ok, well, thank you for your time, Jules." The recruiter said, "As I'm sure you're aware- you passed the COMET test with flying colors. Also- the process could take a long time. We typically send profiles of each new member to all of the SRU Team Offices, to get their opinions before we make a final decision. In your case, the process could be shorter, because of both you and your families' advanced standing within the organization. That being said, I don't see why you wouldn't be approved to come back to SRU in the role of a Dispatching Officer."

* * *

><p>With all my strength, I pushed the bench press weight up into the air. As I brought it to my full extent, Ed grabbed the bar and hooked it onto the frame of the upright pieces on the bench.<p>

"Wow." Ed commented, "Just wow."

"Think you can top that?" I asked.

"Bench press close to seventy percent of the combined team weight?" Ed asked, "Doubt it."

"More like exactly five times my weight." I corrected.

From across the gym Spike yelled, "What'd she press?"

"575 pounds." Ed yelled over.

Spike came closer. "Muscles and curves in all the right places- now I see what Sara sees in you."

"She loves me for who I am," I said, "Not how I look."

"Some of it might be looks." Spike suggested.

"Spike," Ed said, "Sounds like you might need to take a sexual harassment refresher."

"It's fine Ed." I said, defending Spike.

"When do we get to meet her?" Spike asked.

"Hopefully never." I whispered, as I looked around the gym, to find Brad out of earshot, "Because between you and me, all Brad would do is stare at us both and imagine us doing unspeakable things."

"You don't think I would?"

"You would Spike," I reasoned, "But you have the brains not to do it while everyone is watching."

Then we both saw Jules come out of the administration hallway and into the gym. "Pick you up at four- then go get your new car?" mom said to me.

"Yeah." I replied, "How'd it go?"

"Good."

"How'd what go?" Spike asked.

By this time, Ed, Brad, and Greg were converging on us, as most of them hadn't seen Jules for a while.

"How you've been?" Greg asked.

"Good. Finally got all the baby fat off." Jules replied, "You guys want to come over tonight?"

"What's the occasion, Goldilocks?" Ed asked jokingly.

"Nothing formal- Kristina is 5 months old. Just thought of getting the gang together- Wordy is going be over."

"It's a plan." Greg said, "Suit up guys, we're on patrol in an hour."

We all got up and started walking towards the locker rooms.

"You're getting a new car?" Spike asked.

"Yes sir."

"What was wrong with the truck?" Ed asked from behind us.

I spun around and started walking backwards.

"Uh, it was a truck."

"Trucks are awesome. Why would you get rid of a truck?" Brad asked.

"Because it was costing me nearly eighty bucks a week to fill up."

"Move closer to the station." Ed suggested, "What kind of car?"

"Chevy Cruze, 1.8 litre turbo charged diesel."

Spike was about to enter the men's locker room when he said, "Is there anything you don't know, Textbook?"

* * *

><p>As we entered the garage Ed barked out the alpha and bravo assignment- "Me, Brad and the boss on alpha, Megan and Spike on Bravo."<p>

I got into the driver's seat of the one SUV.

"Downtown?" Spike asked, as we pulled out of the station parking lot.

"Sure."

It took some time to get downtown, but once we did we took our time, as we were carefully looking at everything and anything that crossed our line of sight.

"I'm going to run this plate." Spike said.

"What plate?"

"The one in front of us- read it off, will you?"

"Bravo Hotel Alpha Charlie Six Three Niner"

Spike punched in the license plate number, "Can I get a drum roll?" he asked.

"Spike, if you want me to pull him over, tell me know, 'cause there's a good spot coming up."

"Yeah- he's got a warrant for his arrest in Alberta for failure to appear in court." Spike said, as I turned on the sirens and lights and proceeded to pull the man over, "Winnie- contact Edmonton PD- see if they want to extend the boundaries of the warrant for his arrest."

We came to a stop, as I got out of the SUV and approached the vehicle.

"License, proof of insurance and registration please." I calmly said.

"SRU? Am I in trouble?"

"License, proof of insurance, and registration please, sir." I asked again.

He handed me the documents as I took them back to the truck.

Once inside, I passed the information to Spike, as he started to run the information checks.

"SRU Team One Bravo," Winnie said over the radio, "Edmonton PD wants us to pick this guy up."

"Copy that." I said, as I grabbed the radio, "This is an all call to Unit 34- please send your closest car for a warrant pickup at my location at Queen and Princess."

"Copy that SRU Team One Bravo." The general dispatcher replied, "Sending closest unit."

"Advise the unit to stay quiet- lights only." I replied.

"Copy that."

"Drum roll?" Spike asked again, "Insurance invalid."

"How does his registration check out if his insurance is invalid?"

"Insurance dropped him just a few weeks ago- stopped paying."

I looked out the rearview mirror to see the unit 34 squad car pull up. I got out of the SUV and approached the suspect's vehicle.

"Get out of the car for me please."

"Am I under arrest?" he asked.

"Get out of the car."

He complied, and got out.

"I just want to do a quick field sobriety test- face your back to me, and put your left hand on your head, and take your right arm, and stick it straight out."

The man assumed the pose. "Like this?"

I was quick, as I cuffed his left hand, and grabbed this right arm and swung it behind him and secured the cuffs, "Dalton Squire- you're under arrest for failure to appear in court for the charge of possession of a controlled substance under the Edmonton Police Department, and for driving a motor vehicle without insurance. Do you understand?"

"Yes ma'am."

* * *

><p>We continued our patrol. We pulled up to an intersection, to see a young couple smoking marijuana.<p>

"You have to be kidding me." Spike said, as I turned on the lights and sirens and pulled over.

Both me and Spike got out of the SUV as we approached them sure enough, they started to butt out.

"Stop right, there." Spike said, "We just want to talk, ok?"

They didn't answer.

"Nice day, eh?" I asked Spike.

"Yeah, perfect autumn day- not too cold, just warm enough. You guys liking this weather?"

They nodded.

"Are you smoking anything illegal on this fine day?" I asked them.

"I'm sorry, you are?" the man said to me.

"Strategic Response Unit Officer Megan Perrasmith. What's your name, sir?"

"Aren't you a bit young?"

"I worked hard. I asked you a question, you mind answering it?" I asked.

"I'm sorry officer," the woman said, "I didn't see your badge?"

Frustrated, I grabbed my badge from my belt and showed it to the couple.

"Turn around for me, will you?" I asked the woman.

She complied as she turned around, and put her hands up.

"Both of you." I demanded, as Spike roughly turned the man around.

Right there, in the middle of the downtown sidewalk we frisked and patted down the two.

On the woman, I found an ounce of cut marijuana and lighter. Spike found three rolled marijuana joints on the man.

We placed them under arrest and called in another Unit 34 squad car to pick them up.

* * *

><p>"This is getting to be an interesting day." I said, as we continued our patrol, "Getting my new car, pressed 575 on the bench in the gym today, arrested a dude for a warrant from another province, and busted two people for possession."<p>

"We're on a roll." Spike said with a smile.

"Bravo unit- what's your 20?" Ed asked.

"What's going on?" Spike asked.

"911 dispatch received a call from several women at Hallsview Fitness Centre saying they think there's a man outside with a gun."

"Twenty minutes out, Ed." Spike informed, "What's our approach?"

"Stay quiet and come from the north." Ed said.

* * *

><p>Once at the location, Alpha unit pulled into the parking lot of the Fitness Centre, while we parked on the street across from the main entrance.<p>

"I see him." Spike said, as he looked through the binoculars, "Male- mid forties, short black hair. Hands concealed, and he looks like he might have a concealed weapon. Something very bulky on his right side."

"What's the plan Eddie?" Brad asked.

"Ideas anyone?" Ed branched out.

"Bravo could approach- checking IDs, nothing special- alpha on standby in case something goes strange." I suggested.

"Spike, you got a snap yet?" Brad asked.

"Doing it now." Spike spoke, as he attached a telescopic lens to a DLSR camera and took a headshot picture of the man, "Running the picture into the computer, and will check against DMV records."

"Run it against the RSO list." I suggested.

"Why?" Spike asked.

"You never know."

Suddenly the man grabbed a nearby, unsuspecting young teenager, as he looked around and made sure there weren't any witnesses.

"Did you see what I see-" Spike asked with a hint of rhyme in his voice.

Knowing exactly what Christmas song Spike was referring to I continued, "I smile, I smile, thinking it is him."

"What on earth are you guys doing?" Brad asked, "He's getting into a vehicle."

"We can be on his tail in five seconds." I said to Ed.

"Give him some space Bravo. We have a hostage, and an unconfirmed weapon. We do not want to put the hostage at risk." Ed commanded, "We'll follow from a safe distance, and with absolute stealth."

"Copy that."

* * *

><p>Ed radioed to Spike, "Spike, you run the plates?"<p>

"Vehicle belongs to a Duncan Ranger. CIU and Unit 55 have him flagged- doesn't say why." Spike replied.

"Spike-make some calls, find out why."

"Does it matter, Ed?" I asked over the radio, as I inched closer to the vehicle, "We know he has a female hostage and might have a weapon"

"Good point." Ed said, "Still- this may or may not be the killer. Either way- he has a hostage."

"Bravo still has the target. 10 seconds behind." I radioed in.

"And alpha is 3 seconds behind you bravo, you're doing great."

"We need to bring this to a close, Ed- he has a hostage."

"Spike, we know anything yet?" Greg asked.

Spike just hung up his phone.

"Unit 55 has him flagged as a possible suspect to the murders." Spike informed, "CIU would really like a DNA sample from him- that's all they'd need."

"So we take him down." Ed said.

"Rolling roadblock?" I asked.

"Too risky with the gun in play."

"Pit maneuver?"

"Might be the only way, bravo-" Ed said, "We'll take the left flank and cover once you start the maneuver."

"Copy that," I replied, "On three alpha- two, one…"

Using Ed's sudden lane change to our left, as he turned on the lights and sirens, I turned on my lights and sirens and gave the SUV more gas, as I used the reinforced bumper to hit the left rear part of Duncan Ranger's vehicle, causing him to skid and slide to one side.

One Mr. Ranger's car came to a stop, both me and Ed brought our vehicles to a stop.

Team One got out of our vehicles, weapons pointed at the vehicle.

Over the loudspeaker Greg initiated contact- "Duncan Ranger- turn off the vehicle and exit it immediately!"

With no response, we moved in.

Ed and Brad took the driver's side, as me and Spike took the passenger's side. Using my baton I smashed the one window, and Greg threw in an active smoke grenade.

"Get out of the car now!" I yelled, as the driver came out and surrendered himself to Ed.

"Any movement over there?" Ed asked us, as he put cuffs on Mr. Ranger.

"Negative." I said, as I opened the car door to find a teenaged girl sprawled out on the rear seat.

I took off my glove and searched for a pulse.

"Very faint- Brad, get us the defib, boss, we need EMTs!"

With Spike's help, I moved the woman out onto the asphalt of the road, which several police cruisers now had sectioned off.

Spike started chest compressions as I started mouth to mouth.

Finally Brad came with the defibrillator.

Working as quickly as we could, Spike ripped open her shirt to expose part of her chest, where he attached the defib pads.

"Charging." I informed, as I pressed the 'CHARGE' button on the defibrillator.

"I'm clear." Spike muttered.

"Sending." I spoke, as I sent the electrical charge to the pads on her chest, in attempt to kick start her heart.

"EMTs are here." Ed said.

* * *

><p>After the incident, Winnie put Team eight on patrol, and put us on station duty. Once at the station, we started to debrief.<p>

"Winnie, any news from Unit 34?" Greg asked.

"Yeah," Winnie replied, "It's him. You guys got him."

Greg looked back at us and nodded. I smiled as I looked to Ed, Spike and Brad. Together- we brought the Goddess killer to justice.

"The girl?" Greg asked.

"She wasn't wearing her seatbelt in the car, and her head hit the backseat fairly hard. The EMTs figured there would be severe brain damage."

"And?"

"She died on route to the hospital."


	61. Goddess VI

"Alright." Greg said to us, "They're here to ask us questions about how it all went down. You've been officially debriefed, so you can talk about it, but I would prefer that you not get too detailed, ok?"

We all nodded.

"Ok-" Greg said, "They want to talk to me first."

* * *

><p>Greg sat down at the stool. The television crew had setup in one of the conference rooms. They were using a large piece of cloth that had the SRU insignia as the back drop.<p>

"What is your name, and your role in the Strategic Response Unit?" the journalist asked.

"I'm Sargent Greg Parker- I work primarily with Team One, but I'm also a member of Strategic Response Unit Administration Team."

"Do you feel happy that we have a serial killer off of the streets?"

"I love my job- I wouldn't be happier doing anything else. There are days that we patrol, and there are days like the day Duncan Ranger was arrested- every one of those days makes me happy."

"What do you remember the most about the day of the arrest?"

"For me- it was just another day."

* * *

><p>"What is your specialty Mr. Lane?"<p>

Ed looked into the camera with a cold stone look, "I'm a long distance marksman."

"A sniper?"

"No, a long distance marksman." Ed corrected.

"Are you happy about having Mr. Ranger off the streets?"

"I'm not at liberty to discuss that."

* * *

><p>"You've been a member of SRU for how long?"<p>

"Six months." Brad answered.

"Is it all it's cracked up to be?"

"Oh, yes it is. The people here- everybody takes the job very seriously, which is obviously what they need to do, because of the job."

"Are you afraid?"

Brad thought about it for a moment, "Yes, Ma'am- I am afraid. I'm afraid of being shot and not going home at night."

* * *

><p>"You are…?"<p>

"Megan Perrasmith."

"You're fairly young to be a police officer."

"I was studying under the best professors and instructors at Durham College in Police Foundations and was a SRU Rover Crew Sargent. There was a position available for an officer in training, so I took it."

"You are the only female member of SRU Team One?"

"Currently, yes."

"Currently?"

"My step-mother was a member of SRU Team One before my step-sister was born."

"Does policing run in your family? What did your father do?"

"Yes- policing does run in my family. My great grandfathers served in World War Two, my grandfather is retired from the Navy, and my father was a member of SRU Team One."

"So your blood does run blue?"

"Yes."

"Do you feel good about the arrest of Duncan Ranger?"

"Well, anyday that I get to enforce the laws and regulations of our modern society is a day that I feel good. My great-grandfathers fought for our freedom, and I help preserve it."

"What do you remember the most the day of the arrest?"

"A lot of things happened on that day, it's hard to pick just one."

"Try."

I thought about it. I thought about how I want to be perceived, and how Greg doesn't want us sharing intimate details.

"That was the day my baby sister turned five months old."

* * *

><p>"You're afraid of your job?" the reporter asked Brad.<p>

"I'm not afraid of my job- I'm afraid that I may not come home after a shift."

* * *

><p>"Mr. Lane, do you have faith in your Team?"<p>

"Of course." Ed replied, "I am the Team Leader, it is my job to lead them. I trust them, as they trust me-without them I would be nothing, 'We burn the fat off of our souls.' Henway said that."

* * *

><p>"Sargent, do you think that if the Toronto Police Service employed more competent officers, that the murders of Kendra Plant, Hope Caesar, Juliet Prang, Amy Yi, Claire Romeo and Laurie Cooper could have been prevented."<p>

"First of all," Greg replied, "Laurie Cooper was not murdered by Duncan Ranger. In the events leading up to his arrest, his actions, which endangered the lives of several- including Laurie Cooper. Laurie Cooper's death is considered public endangerment with criminal intent causing in death."

* * *

><p>"Mrs. Perrasmith-"<p>

"Please, call me Megan; Mrs. Perrasmith is my mother."

"Megan- do you think that Mr. Duncan Ranger's case is another case to bring back capital punishment?"

"I am not at liberty to discuss Mr. Ranger's legal case of law."

"Do you believe capital punishment should be brought back for cases similar to this one?"

"Do you?" I asked back, avoiding providing an answer.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: A little short chapter for ya'll. This chapter marks the end of my 'Goddess' saga within **_**A New Beginning. **_**I had a lot of fun writing it, and even more fun reading the reactions of my readers via reviews. Now what that means? REVIEW!**


	62. Sidelined

**A/N: OK- so if you don't know, or you've forgotten, I'm ending this fiction for good at 70 chapters. But that doesn't mean I'm washing myself clean of Flashpoint and moving on. No, no,**** no, no- I will keep on writing. In fact- after **_**A New Beginning,**_** I have three Flashpoint plots lined up, but one of them won't be feasible until after I see each and every Flashpoint episode. The other two? Well, let's put it this way- the first project I'****m going to tackle isn't going to be too far from **_**A New Beginning, **_**as ****it's**** going to be a spin off.**

**Spin off or not, I have two solid plot ideas and I want my readers to tell me what they want to see- so leave a review with your vote. The two options are:**

**A character based plot surrounding Megan and Sara as they continue through life as long time partners.**

**A character based plot surrounding Kristina, as she matures through life.**

**Sounds interesting!**

* * *

><p>"Clark-"I said into the cellphone, "You haven't done anything yet that can't be undone. So why don't you talk to your friends about pulling over and surrendering peacefully."<p>

"I can't do that." Clark Lane answered.

"Yes, you can."

"No- my dad will kill me. There's no other way."

I sighed heavily, hoping I wouldn't have to resort to this method to get through to Clark, but I guess I'll have to.

* * *

><p>Ed walked into the locker room. Once we was at his locker, he vented his frustration by hitting his locker door several times with his fist.<p>

Spike looked over at Ed.

"I think you unlock it using a key." Spike suggested, "Unless you were going for the nostalgic, dented look of high school lockers."

"You finished Spike?"

"For the day? Probably not."

"Spike," Ed said, as he turned around to look at him, "This is one day where I'd prefer if you don't make any smartass remarks."

"What's going on Ed?"

"It's Clark- he's driving me up the wall."

"He's getting older- want's his independence."

"Independence? More like immaturity."

"Team One- hot call!" came Winnie's voice over the intercom, "Several suspects robbed a store on Dartmouth and carjacked a vehicle parked outside."

"Better get going." Spike stated, as they sped up getting dressed.

* * *

><p>Once on scene, I entered the store with Ed to question the store clerk, while Spike and Greg checked traffic cameras and walked to other witnesses.<p>

"Where's Brad?" I whispered to Ed.

"Haven't seen or heard from him since the reporters came to SRU, why?"

"Just wondering."

Ed approached the store owner, "Sir, I'm Officer Lane, this is Officer Perrasmith, with the Strategic Response Unit. Can you tell me what happened here today?"

I started to look around, but I was paying full attention to Ed's conversation.

"There was three…or four of them- I couldn't tell. One of them had a gun."

"What were they looking for, sir?"

"They wanted money. I gave them all that was in the cash. It was only a couple hundred. They weren't satisfied, so they took some adult magazines and some cigarettes."

"Adult magazines in a convenience store?" I asked, "Setting a new standard for convenience."

"I check IDs first." The man defended.

"Did you recognize any of them?"

"No."

"How old would you say they were?" Ed asked.

"I don't know- early twenties?"

"Around my age then?" I asked to confirm.

"Yes."

* * *

><p>We walked out of the convenience store, as Ed went to talk to Greg, as I stepped into the command truck with Spike.<p>

"Catch that Spike?" I asked.

"Yeah, got it."

"We got plates to run for the car?"

Greg radioed in, "Nope, because one of them ripped off the plates and threw them in the back seat with them. None of the witnesses can remember the license plate number."

"What about an APB?" I asked.

"Still no help," Spike chimed in, "Some people say it was a Blue Ford, one guy said it was a purple Mitsubishi, and two women were adamant it was a black Chevy."

"Wow." I said, "Working on traffic cameras?"

"Yeah," Spike replied, "But with no plates, and no confirmed vehicle description, it could take a while."

"I got an idea. Ed- you want to help me with that?" I asked as I got out of the truck and back into the store.

"Now what do you want?" the owner asked.

"Sir, I understand this is a difficult time for you, but we only have a few more questions. How many times does your store get busted a month?"

"This is the first time." He said, "This a good neighborhood."

"You bet it is- I live just around the corner." Ed confirmed.

"Sir, can you tell me anything about this group?" I asked, "Now obviously, the guy with the gun was the leader, or something, but I'm going to guess that there was a guy who tried to reason with the leader."

"Yeah…" the owner thought out loud, "He said, 'Never mind this- lets go to DP's place.'."

"Thank you sir."

We left the store again.

"I'm running the nickname 'DP' through the gang name database." Spike radioed to us.

"Spike, I don't think you'll have to do that." I said, as me and Ed walked up to Greg, "Boss- where's Dean Parker?"

* * *

><p>"Dean Parker?" Greg asked, "DP- is that what you think his nickname is?"<p>

"Boss," I replied, "No offense, but I know. I've heard Clark call Dean DP before."

"Are you saying you think Clark is a part of this?" Ed growled at me.

"I'm not saying anything until we confirm it." I said, backing up from Ed's menacing stare, "Why don't you call Clark- see where he is. Spike, can we get a tap?"

"Copy that, standing by."

Ed sighed as he grabbed his phone and dialed Clark's number. Spike channeled the conversation through the headsets.

"Dad?"

"Clark, buddy. Where are you?"

"It's not a good time dad…"

"Clark, where are you?"

"Why?"

"Well, Clark, I'm on a call right now and a group of people held up GeeGee's Convenience Store, and I want to make sure you, mom and Isabel are ok."

"Yeah, yeah, they're fine."

"Put your mom on for me buddy." Ed asked.

"Dad, I'm not at home."

"Clark where are you?"

Then the line went dead.

"He's avoiding the question." Ed summarized.

"And he didn't seem too surprised to hear that GeeGee's was held up." I pointed out.

"That kid is trouble…" Ed muttered, "Spike- get a GPS on my son's cellphone."

"Ed!" Greg yelled at him, "I think we need a more unbiased Team Leader."

"No, Greg, I'll be fine."

"You're damn straight you will be, because Megan is going to be Team Leader."

* * *

><p>"What?" Ed asked.<p>

"Megan's going to be Team Leader for this call Eddie." Greg announced, "Because I am not giving you the chance to take out your anger and frustration on your son, in the course of your duties as a police officer. Understand?"

Ed looked mad. I seemed to be stuck. I didn't want to tell Greg that I wouldn't take the Team Leader re-assignment, but I didn't want Ed mad at me.

"So be it." Ed finally gave up.

"Spike-" Greg started.

"Changing the records now- Team Leader and Tactics to be run by the textbook herself- Megan Perrasmith."

"Stop fooling around Spike." Greg said, as I followed him into the truck while Ed in tow, "Get a GPS on Clark's phone and trace a call to Dean Parker to the sat phone, I want to talk to him and see if he knows what's going on here."

"Ok," Spike said, getting serious and routing a call to Dean Parker, "Dean Parker, line 2."

Greg picked up the satellite phone and pressed the button for line 2. Meanwhile, Spike routed the call to our headsets.

"Dean," Greg said, when the phone was finally answered, "What's going on buddy?"

"Is everything ok, dad? You usually don't call me from work."

"I'm just calling you to ask you a few questions- do you and Clark have any plans for the day?"

"We did, but he blew me off. Said he was going to hang out with some friends."

"Do you know who those friends might be?"

"No. Is Clark ok?"

"Dean," Greg said, as he prepared to level with him, "We have reason to believe that Clark, along with some friends may have held up a corner store and carjacked a vehicle."

"Dad, all I can tell you is that that's not like Clark. If he's doing it, though, he's doing it because he doesn't have another choice. If I had to guess, I'd guess that they're forcing him."

"Copy that Dean, thank you. If Clark contacts you…"

"I'll let you know, got it." Dean said, before he hung up.

"Why can't my kid be like that?" Ed commented.

"I got a hit on Clark's GPS position," Spike said, "Eastbound on York, heading towards to the Don Valley."

"Alright, let's go." I said, taking on my role of Team Leader- "Me and the boss as alpha, Spike and Ed as bravo."

* * *

><p>Greg drove the truck.<p>

"Spike- hook Megan's headset to Clark's phone, let's see if we can make contact."

"You want me to negotiate boss?" I asked, remembering the last time I negotiated which resulted in a girl killing herself.

"You're his age, you've hung out with him a bit- you'll be able to connect better than if it was me or Spike."

"Copy that," I replied, "Spike, ready when you are."

"Dialing now." Spike radioed to me, "Press to communicate."

"Hello?" came Clark's voice.

"Clark- this Megan Perrasmith with the Strategic Response Unit. What's going on?"

"Nothing is going on Megan, just leave me alone."

"Clark, you know what, you're smart, I'm smart, so why don't I cut to the chase- we know you were involved at the robbery at GeeGees and the car theft. Mind telling us where you are?"

"This isn't a good time."

"Clark, is it safe for you to be talking to me?"

"…I don't know."

"Are you a hostage?"

"No."

"But you don't know where you are or where you're going?"

"No."

"Ok, Clark, I need you to put the phone down but leave it on. Then what I want you to do is ask the guy with the gun where you're going and what his plans are, ok?"

"Sorry, I can't do that."

Then Clark hung up.

"He hung up on me." I said.

"Bravo unit is at a cross street ahead of the suspect vehicle." Ed informed us, "We can setup a road block."

"Negative Eddie," I decided, "Clark is not a bad kid, and he just seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I'm going to call him back- bravo, setup a spike strip and Sierra."

Greg nodded over to me. "But let's stay less lethal, team." Greg added, "We don't want any one of those kids in our crosshairs."

"Spike, dial me back in."

Again, the phone rang.

"What?"

"Clark- this is Megan Perrasmith again. I'm going to ask you some more questions, all you have to answer is yes or no. Was the robbery your idea?"

"No."

"Good- Clark, I can tell you didn't want anybody to get in trouble or hurt, so I'm going to guess it was you who ripped off the plates, right?"

"Yes."

"Ok, Clark, now I need to you listen to me…"

"I don't want to listen!"

"Clark- you haven't done anything yet that can't be undone. So why don't you talk to your friends about pulling over and surrendering peacefully.

"I can't do that." Clark answered.

"Yes, you can."

"No- my dad will kill me. There's no other way."

I sighed heavily, hoping I wouldn't have to resort to this method to get through to Clark, but I guess I'll have to.

"Clark- here's what's going to happen. Spike and your dad have a spike strip setup on the road ahead of you. The car is going to hit it, then the driver is going to lose control. After that, driver is going to be shot with a rubber bullet, and maybe even a few passengers- including you. Whenever Spike and Ed come to arrest you guys, you'll be arrested for petty theft, robbery under $5,000, grand theft auto, and evading police custody. All your charges together, you're looking at about 5 years in a provincial prison. Show your dad you're a good guy and do the right thing."

"Ok." Clark said, "Hey dude- stop!"

"What- why?" a voice asked.

"Yeah man, why?" asked another voice.

"We need to ditch these wheels man, the cops are probably looking for us."

"Alright, good thinking Lane."

I radioed into bravo unit, "Alpha unit 5 seconds out from their stopped location. Bravo- do you cover?"

"Copy that." Spike radioed in.

"Sierra One copy." Ed added.

We came up behind the vehicle. Both me and boss opened our doors and pointed our guns at the four men, including Clark- starting to leave the vehicle.

"Police- put your hands in the air, and get on your knees- do it now!" I yelled at them.

All of them complied, except one.

Clark yelled over to me, "He's the one with the gun."

"Shut up Clark!" he yelled at him, "This all you? Yeah, probably- isn't your dad a cop?"

His hand moved towards his pocket.

"Do not move!" I yelled again, "Show me your hands!"

"Ed, you got the solution?" I asked.

"I have the solution, TL." Ed commented, calling me team leader.

"Hold Sierra, hold."

"Clark- you're a dead man!" the armed man said.

"Josh- it wasn't me, I swear!" Clark pleaded.

"I'll kill you." He said, as his hand dove into his pocket.

"Scorpio." I ordered, as Ed took the shot.

* * *

><p>After the debriefing, and the SIU inspection, I went to the locker room to change.<p>

Halfway through, I heard a knock on the door, and Ed's voice ask "Decent?"

"Yeah." I called out.

Ed came in and sat on the bench in front of me.

"Sorry about that Meg." Ed apologized.

"It's ok Eddie, you were emotional about Clark and I get that." I answered, "What about Clark, he going to be ok?"

"I think so."

"You still mad at him?" I asked.

"I just want him to talk more to me, that's all. Tell me something: did you and your dad ever fight?"

"Sometimes." I answered, "But in the end we always forgave each other."

"You were a good Team Leader today."

"Thanks Ed."

"Think you'd want to be a full time Team Leader?"

"You offering?" I asked.

"I asked first."

"Probably."


	63. Dying Changes Everything

Jules looked out the picture window into the backyard, where the rain dropped hard on the patio. Megan was at Sara's for the weekend, so it was just Jules and Kristina in the house.

Kristina was upstairs sleeping.

The sound of the rain beating down reminded Jules of the time she and Perra had gone to St. Jacobs for the weekend…

"_Hmmm- turns out they close the market down if it's raining." Perra said as he got back into the car._

"_What are we going to do then?" Jules asked._

"_Well, we could go back to the hotel, I could give you a massage, you can give me a massage, crack open that bottle of wine…"_

"…_Have sex." Jules ended._

"_Or that." Perra said with a smile._

Jules missed his smile, his laugh.

She looked into the kitchen, where she saw her bottle of anti-depressants on top of the fridge. She had already taken her daily dose. But she knew, no matter what pills she took, or how many- nothing would ever fill the emptiness that the death of her husband caused.

Every day, she felt physical pain. She knew what it was. She was trying to hide just how depressed she was, and it was causing physical symptoms.

Dr. Green had told her that if she ever felt so depressed that she was beginning to think about suicide, to call 911 immediately. She was glad it had not got that far yet.

* * *

><p>It was getting late, so Jules decided to change and get into bed.<p>

As she laid down, she began thinking. _If Perra was still alive, what would he be saying right now? __He'd be saying that we must be getting old- going to bed at 9pm. I would say something like 'We're not getting any younger.'_

_He'd look at me with his baby blue eyes and tell me that he couldn't think of anyone better than me to grow old with. I'd smile, he'd smile. He would kiss me._

_If Perra was still alive- would Megan be a lesbian? Would he have talked to her- and convinced her to be straight? Probably not- he accepted people the way they are._

_If Perra was still alive- he'd be nice to Sara. He'd care for her like a daughter. _

Jules used her arm to wipe the tears from her cheeks. She couldn't stop thinking of Perra and thinking about how things may be different.

Kristina started to cry, so Jules got up and entered Kristina's room, and picked up the baby, and started to soothe her by rocking her back and forth in her arms. She decided to sit down on the rocking chair in the room and talk to Kristina, while she soothed her.

"Your dad- he was a great guy. I loved him Kristina, and now he's gone. Nothing will ever bring him back. Everything reminds me of him, and there's days where I think I take it anymore, and when I get through it, I think 'that wasn't so hard', but it isn't Kristina."

Jules looked at Kristina, who had managed to fall back to sleep.

_Someday you'll understand Kristina._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ok, this chapter is really short, but I didn't want to get long winded in the emotions. I didn't want a 1,000 word emotional rant, and I think this size of chapter does it justice in just the right way.**


	64. Triage

"Team one- status!" Greg demanded.

"No harm." I radioed in, "Spike, Ed- you ok?"

I looked over to my left to find both Spike and Ed passed out beside me. I engaged my radio to radio in their status to Greg and Brad when one of the masked men approached me.

"Two of the cops are dead." He yelled out to his accomplice- "The chick's still alive."

"Take her out." Came his order.

"Copy that." The man said, as he pointed the handgun at me.

* * *

><p>Me and Eddie were at the indoor shooting range. We were stationed at the 100 yard range and were practicing our Sierra shots. After we finished shooting five rounds, we recalled our targets and examined them.<p>

"Good job Meg," Ed commended, "Much better than last time."

"Team One, hot call!" came over the intercom.

We quickly grabbed the rifles and the ammunition and started to run for the steps. "Time to put the practice to work." Ed commented.

* * *

><p>We arrived on scene. Once there, we piled out and went into the command truck.<p>

"What do we got?" Ed asked.

"Masked shooters in city hall." Spike said, as he sat down at the computers, "Security figures that there are 2 wounded and four killed."

"Thoughts?" Ed turned and asked me.

"We have to enter- hard tactical, and neutralize the threat." I replied.

"Which is what we're going to do- Me, Megan, and Spike will enter and neutralize, Brad and Greg in the truck. All information goes through you."

"Copy that." Brad said, as Spike got up from his chair and Brad replaced him.

"Let's move."

Me, Ed and Spike all grabbed our weapons and entered the building.

"Security thinks they might have entered the basement and Parker is coordinating with uniforms to create a perimeter." Brad informed us.

"Me and Megan as Alpha to the basement," Ed said, as we started down the steps, "Spike will deploy electronic counter-measures to prevent any bombs or IEDs from going off in our face."

Once in the basement, we quickly and slowly cleared the single hall that had several attached supply and custodial closets.

"Basement clear." I said, as we made our way back up to Spike, "Brad, anything on CCTV?"

"Nothing yet- they're either laying low, reloading, or they know this place." Brad replied.

"Do a filtered background search on the employees," I instructed, "Emphasis on employees with past criminal records."

"Copy that."

Spike finally finished typing on the tablet computer. "Electronic counter measures in place- if there are any remote detonators, or blast caps waiting for a signal to blow, they're rendered useless."

"Good job Spike." Ed said, "Alpha is picking up Spike, proceeding to clear first floor."

We continued down the hallway. Once past the security station, where we gave hand signals to the security officers to stay concealed, we found three of the four people reported dead by the shooters.

"This is ground zero, Brad." Ed asked, as me and Spike checked the bodies for pulses.

But there were no pulses to be found.

* * *

><p>"First floor clear." I radioed in, as we ascended to the second floor.<p>

"Ed," Greg radioed, "Team Six has just landed on the helicopter pad on the roof- they're going to clear the top five floors."

"Leaving four more for us, copy that boss."

As soon as we stepped onto the second floor, I had to be careful where I stepped, because there was the next body.

"Check it, Meg." Ed asked.

I bent down and removed my glove to look for a pulse.

"Ed, I have a pulse."

"Copy that," Spike said, as he knelt down beside the woman who was shot in the chest, "Brad we need EMTs on second floor, off of black wall."

"Ma'am," I whispered to her, as I brought myself closer to her, "The gun men, did you recognize any of them? Their voices- anything?"

"No…I'm thirsty."

"I'm sorry, I don't have anything on me." I lied, knowing fully well that in her condition that she shouldn't be drinking any fluids, "Do you know where they were going, or what they were looking for?"

"No."

"Megan, EMTs are here, let's go." Ed said, as the EMTs slid in beside us and went to work on the patient.

We continued on. On this floor, there were more offices, so Spike had the door stethoscope, as he placed the pad on each door and listened to see if there was any noises on the other side of the door.

There was quite a few with nothing, but then Spike signaled that he could hear something on the other side of this door.

Spike was already working on getting eyes in, while Ed stacked up to the door, and he signaled for me to go to third floor and get into position to go in from the window.

Once up on third floor, I heard two voices crying out for help.

"Ed, I got injured on third floor." I radioed in.

"Negative, Megan- we'll enter this office here, and we'll get to third floor when we get there."

I set up my harness and prepared a window charge.

"What do we got?" I asked.

"One masked man, handgun- he's going through a filing cabinet." Spike whispered.

"Less lethal?" I asked.

"Megan, you ready with window entry?" Ed asked.

"In position, waiting for your go."

"Me and Spike as alpha on door entry, Bravo is Megan on explosive window entry. Alpha is less lethal, bravo is lethal. Copy?"

"Copy that."

"Let's go!"

On Ed's signal I detonated the shape charge explosive and zip lined into the room. By the time I had my gun on the suspect; Spike was detaining him with handcuffs.

"One suspect requiring a uniform pickup on second floor." I radioed in.

"Coming to you, bravo." Brad replied.

Once the officer got there and took the suspect, we continued to third floor.

"Help!" the voices yelled out louder.

"One on the east side, one on the west- me and Spike have the east, Megan, you take the west."

I went west and found my target- a man, mid-forties, well dressed, with a gunshot wound in his lower get.

"EMTs, required on third floor." I radioed in, "Sir, did you recognize the shooters? Their voices, anything at all?"

"One of them sounded like Mike."

"Mike- Mike who?"

"Mike Currie- he works in IT."

"Does Mike have access to firearms, and does this sound like something Mike would do?" I asked, as I started to put pressure on the wound.

"He hates working here, but everybody does. We'd never come in, guns blazing, you know?"

The EMTs were at my location.

"Ok, sir thank you for your information." I thanked, as I met up with Ed and Spike.

"And?" I asked.

"Massive blood loss, hit an artery, died while I was attending." Ed informed, "You learn anything?"

"That guy thinks that Mike Currie, works in IT, might be one of the shooters. Says he's a disgruntled employee, and that there are a lot of them around the office."

"There's motive right there." Spike added up, "And IT- that explains why Brad hasn't been able to get anything from CCTV- they're either looping the feeds, or their hiding in blind zones."

"Why shoot a co-worker?" I pointed out, "Why not go right to the head of the operation- cut it off?"

"Tunnel vision, not thinking and they no longer care." Ed guessed, "We need to keep on moving."

* * *

><p>"Team One entering fourth floor." Ed radioed, "Team Six- what do you got?"<p>

"One shooter detained on tenth floor. Tread carefully Team One Alpha- we found explosives in his backpack."

"How many shooters left?" I asked.

"Hard to say," Greg told us, "The guy down here is refusing to talk. Building security can't identify him, so Brad's running him through the facial recognition software."

As we started to walk past a corner, we had shots directed towards us.

I was fast enough to be able to take cover on the cubicle wall, across from Ed and Spike, who stayed covered on the opposite side of the corner.

"What do we got?" Ed asked to me.

I dropped my bag and grabbed the wheeled drone and its control pad.

"Deploying drone." I said, as I wheeled it into position, "Two suspects- one covering the other- looks like one is putting together some sort of explosive device."

"See any timers?" Spike radioed to me.

"Negative."

"Send me the image." Spike asked.

"Uploading to the PDAs."

Across from me, I saw Spike take out his PDA and examine the image.

"Designed to blow on impact." Spike reasoned.

"Meaning?" Ed asked.

"There either planning on throwing it, or shooting at it from a distance."

"Ed, I can lay suppressing fire- keeping them busy, and get you guys 20 feet closer." I suggested.

"Do it."

I peered out from behind my cover, and said suppressing fire while Spike and Ed got into position. I continued to lay suppressing fire, as I rejoined them.

"We need to work fast, or they'll have that bomb ready to go." Spike said, as he looked back at me.

"What are you thinking Spike?" Ed asked, as he turned back to see me.

Just as Spike started to open his mouth, I saw something being thrown into the air, in our direction.

"Take cover!" I yelled, as we automatically covered our heads, and took cover up against the wall to protect us from the explosion.

After the bomb went off, all I could hear was an annoying ringing in my ears.

"Team one- status!" Greg yelled into the radio.

"No harm." I informed, "Spike, Ed- you ok?"

I looked over to my left to find both Spike and Ed passed out beside me. I could tell that they were alive and well, because I saw their chests rise and fall, although barely, as the body armor covers it well.

I engaged my radio to radio in their status to Greg and Brad when one of the masked men approached me.

"Two of the cops are dead." He yelled out to his accomplice- "The chick's still alive."

"Take her out." Came his order.

"Copy that." The man said, as he pointed the handgun at me, "Any last words?"

I put my arms in the air, "I can tell you're upset…"

Then I saw Ed leap up and tackle the man to the ground, although at some point, I heard a gunshot go off.

I looked over to Spike, who was coming to, who turned his attention to me.

"Spike are you ok?" I asked.

"Are you?" he asked, as he grabbed my arm and put pressure on it.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Spike lifted off his hand to get a better grip on my arm, when I saw that the bullet from whoever fired their gun passed right through my lower arm left arm, just below my elbow.

"You don't feel that?" Spike asked.

The pain started to seep in, "I do now."

I engaged my radio, "Team One Alpha to Command- 10-33- officer down and wounded."

It was the last thing I remember doing, because at that moment, I passed out.

* * *

><p>Spike stayed with Megan. Ed joined up with Team Six, who promptly responded to Megan's 10-33.<p>

After a few minutes, Ed radioed to command, "Building is clear- all suspects contained."

Shortly after that, paramedics came to attend to Megan. One of the paramedics looked familiar to Spike.

_Where have I seen her before?  
><em>

"Oh my god! Megan!" the paramedic exclaimed, as she and her partner started first aid and were about to affix her to a stretcher.

Spike got up, as he looked carefully at the paramedic, who was now crying and muttering "Megan" over and over.

"Do you know her?" Spike asked.

The paramedic turned around and said, "Yeah, she's my girlfriend."

"Sara, right?"

"Yeah."

"She was telling me the other day how much she loves you Sara. You have to be strong, that way when she wakes up, you can tell her how much you love her."

Sara nodded, as she and her partner carried Megan's stretcher down the stairs.

* * *

><p>I woke up in a hospital bed. They had an air mask on me. I looked down to the wound, where they had it dressed up, like they had just finished surgery. It looked like there was residual bleeding, but not too much.<p>

I looked up and saw Sara. She stood at the end of my bed looking at the medical chart on the clipboard that's designed to hang off the end of the bed. She looked up at me.

She came over to my right side. "You're lucky." Sara said, "It was a hollow point bullet, passed right through. No muscle or tissue damage, but it severed some nerve strands."

Using my right arm, I lifted up the air mask. "What does that mean?" I asked.

"It means you're fine. But you may no longer have feeling in parts of your left hand or arm."

Sara took the air mask off of me, and kissed me, "I love you so much Megan."


	65. Saints

"Shawn, have you thought this through?" Greg asked.

"Yeah, I have Greg Parker!"

"Because what you're asking for- it's not unreasonable, it's just the way you're doing it my man."

"Shut, up… just shut up Greg Parker!"

* * *

><p>Ed walked into SRU. Once inside, he looked out to the parking lot, looking at the parking spot that Megan was parking her new car in, and noted that it wasn't there. It wasn't going to be there for another week, or so, depending on how well the doctor says her physiotherapy is going.<p>

Then his cellphone rang.

"Clark, what's going on buddy- what, yeah I'm at work, where else would I be? Yeah, yeah, I stopped by the hospital this morning and she's doing good. Doctors say she's at peace and should be able to come home soon. Alright- studying hard? Ok, I'll grill you when I get home."

After Ed hung up he entered the locker room with Greg.

"So Megan's doing alright?" Greg, "I didn't realize she was still in the hospital."

"Oh, right," Ed said, "Well, not really. Sara took her in because the dressing needed to be changed. Apparently it was stinking up the house."

" 'Studying hard' ?" Greg asked, as he pulled on his uniform shirt, "What's Clark studying for?"

"Were you listening to my entire conversation?" Ed asked Greg.

"Just from the part where you said that Megan would be home soon."

"Right." Ed said, as Spike and Brad entered, "What's the good word, gentlemen?"

"The word is good." Spike said with a smile.

"Actually," Brad, "The Merriam-Webster word of the day is 'encyclopedia'."

"Aren't we a wealth of knowledge today." Greg jested.

"Yeah, Brad," Spike replied, "Just because Textbook isn't here, doesn't mean you have to try to be one."

"Whatever." Brad grunted, as he finished getting dressed. Since Greg and Ed were taking their time getting dressed and ready, Spike and Brad decided to head to the robotics garage.

"So what's Clark studying for?" Greg asked again.

"He wants to become a registered nurse, so he's working on home study first, then he starts his on-campus work at Centennial College."

"Sounds like they are very accommodating." Greg pointed out, "How's he taking the house arrest?"

"It's better than him going to jail."

* * *

><p>After a few hours of working out, Team One got a strange call.<p>

"Man barricaded himself into a church." Winnie told them over the radio, as they were on route.

"Weapons?" Ed asked.

"Bombs?" Spike questioned.

"Negative on both boys. All we know, is that his name is Shawn Barra."

"Starting a name search," Spike said, as they rolled up to the church, "I'll keep you updated."

"Copy that." Ed said, "Brad will cover the boss, as the boss does his thing. I'll grab myself a perch in the bell tower."

"Classic sniper." Greg muttered to himself with a laugh, as Brad walked forward and entered the church, with Greg in tow.

Once inside they entered the congregation.

"Spike, we got approximately 70 people sitting down." Greg radioed in, "Looks like a man, most likely Shawn Barra is standing at the front. The priest and the altar boys have been instructed to lay down. I do not see any weapons, or bombs,"

"Copy that." Spike replied, "No blue prints, so I'll draw this one out."

"Shawn Barra-" Greg yelled, "My name is Sargent Greg Parker, with the police Strategic Response Unit- why don't you tell me why I'm here?"

* * *

><p>Ed got up to his perch up in the bell tower and readied his rifle. Just as he was about to lay down and look down the scope, his cellphone vibrated.<p>

"Hello?" he answered with a whisper.

"Ed- you at work?" Sophie answered.

"Yeah, Soph- this isn't a good time. What's going on?"

"I just wanted to talk to you. I want to know what you think we should do."

"Do about what Sophie?" Ed asked, "We are dealing with this the best way we can. I'm going to talk to the boss and the team when Megan gets back and talk about a solution, ok?"

"Ok." Sophie said, as she hung up.

Ed put the phone back in its cradle, as he laid down and peered through the scope.

"Boss, I have the solution."

"Hold, Eddie, hold." Came Greg's order.

* * *

><p>"Anything on the name search Spike?" Greg asked.<p>

"Shawn Barra's record is squeaky clean. Can't get any cleaner than this. He is affiliated with some known Atheist gang types- think they're putting him up to this?"

"Hard to say Spike, contact Gun & Gangs, and see what they have."

"Copy."

"Shawn Barra, why don't you tell me why I'm here?" Greg asked.

"You're here because the holy Lord sent you!"

"You don't believe that, do you Shawn? Mind if I call you Shawn?"

"No, call me whatever you want- you will anyway."

"Spike, anything else on this guy?" Greg asked, "Can't make a connection when he's giving me no demands. He has no weapons, so I want to end this peacefully."

"Boss," Ed radioed, "I could hit him with a shock round- you and Brad could be on him in seconds."

"Let's hold off for now, Ed, but let's keep that option open in case he gives me nothing."

"Copy that."

"Yeah boss," Spike radioed, "I got nothing to give you. Record is clean, employment record is clean. No family to talk to- lives by himself."

"So you're saying that a socially isolated atheist just snapped and is at a church holding up over 70 people with no threat of a weapon? Something doesn't sound right."

"Boss," Ed proposed, "I take the shot with the shock round, you and Brad detain, and then the investigation is some detective's problem."

"Yeah, I hear you Ed, but I'd like to know why I'm here- why he's here."

"You're not a saint Greg- you can't know everything."

"Yeah, copy that Ed," Greg responded, "Chamber the shock round, I'm going to try once more."

"Shawn, can you just tell me what's going on?" Greg yelled.

"Get your guy back!"

"Ok, ok," Greg said, as both him and Brad took a few steps, "See Shawn, we're taking a step back here- why don't you tell me what's going on here?"

"They need to understand there is no God! They need to understand that if there is something greater than us, than it's greater and more powerful than something our human mind can't even imagine."

"So why don't you tell them that then? What are you waiting for?"

"Sounds like that might provoke him." Brad commented.

"Shawn, have you thought this through?" Greg asked.

"Yeah, I have Greg Parker!"

"Because what you're asking for- it's not unreasonable, it's just the way you're doing it my man."

"Shut, up… just shut up Greg Parker!"

"Ed, you got that shot with the shocker?" Greg whispered.

"I have the solution." Ed stated.

"Take it."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: A short tactical one for ya'll, because we all know a true balls-to-the-wall tactical chapter involves a Perrasmith, right? Right! Like always, read and review!**


	66. Loved Ones

"So what, you're all fine now?" Spike asked me.

"According to the doctors, I'm good to go." I said to Spike, as I flexed my left hand, and moved my arm around for him, "I just don't have any feeling in my pinkie finger and parts of my palm."

"Either way, you're good to go." Greg said, as he came down the hallway, "Come on, Eddie wants to talk to us in the debriefing room before shift starts."

Greg and Brad walked ahead of me and Spike.

"What's so important for Ed to tell us, that we had to come two hours early into work?"

"Who knows." Spike replied, "Although I think it's some big news."

"Let's hope it's not too big." I said, as we entered the debriefing room.

"That's what she said!" Spike joked, as he sat down.

I sat down across from Ed, "No Spike, that's what _he _said."

"Ouch. That's a burn." Brad annotated.

"Want some burn cream for that?" Ed joked.

"Is this what you called us in for, Ed?" Greg asked, "To make fun of people at their expense?"

"No." Ed said, as his face got serious, "I got some news that affects the team. I know Greg has some too."

"Why don't I go first." Greg suggested, "Break the ice."

"You have the floor, boss." Ed replied.

"Okay," Greg started, "I'm not getting any younger fellas. I've worked with Team One for a long time. Met some great people, made some good friends, and above all we…?"

"Connected, protected, respected." I dryly stated, "What are you getting at?"

"Well," Greg continued, "I can't do this forever. Dean is going to be finishing up his Criminology course soon, and he's already got a job lined up with SIU."

"Special Investigations?" I said, "Good for him."

"Yeah. It is good." Greg commented, "But, I've been considering retiring from the force."

"What?" I replied, "With all due respect- everything I know, I learned from you, and you're leaving? How am I going to come to work every day, knowing that I won't be working with the best?"

"I'm with Megan on this one." Spike piped in, "Honestly boss, keep going until they give you your old age package."

"You want me to be shooting an MP5 and talking down criminals when I'm 59 Spike?"

"I'm just saying, if you don't have to, don't."

"Like I said- I'm considering it. Haven't made up my mind yet- ok?" Greg spoke, "And I'd just be retiring from being a cop, I'm going to keep my position on the administration board."

"Keep us in line?" I said, "Because that's what we'll need with a new Sargent."

"There wouldn't be anyone new." Greg said, "If I do retire, I'd recommend someone within SRU be Team One's Sargent."

"Still, you're the best." I pointed out.

"It wouldn't be too far from the best Megan- I'd recommend Spike most likely."

We all looked at Greg, then at Spike.

"Seriously?" Brad asked, "Spike?"

"Yes, seriously." Greg said, "Ed likes being Team Leader, and I wouldn't change that. On top of that, SRU Sargent requirement is to have 5 years SRU policing, so only Spike would be applicable."

"Boss, I don't think…" Spike started.

"I'm going to stop you right there Scarlatti, because you are Sargent material. You're an excellent shot, a whiz with the computer, and I can't think of anybody better who can dismantle bombs better than you."

"It's big shoes to fill boss." Spike stated, "But you said you were considering right? Just remember my words- 'not until you have to'."

"I have to Spike."

"No, you don't." Spike defended, "I've been honored to serve under you, boss, and I don't think I could do it."

"Well you can Scarlatti." Greg said, "But that's not the main stage today- Ed called us here- what does Ed want with Team One?"

"I haven't been truthful with you guys." Ed admitted, "We're a family, and I've had my secrets too."

"We're allowed to have secrets, Ed." I said.

"You don't have yours."

"But know what Ed, I'm glad I told you guys. I don't have to pretend to be something I'm not."

"Sophie's sick."

Now, our attention turned to Ed.

"She ok buddy?" Greg asked.

"She has acute brain cancer. The doctor has given her 6 months to live. It's too far advanced for chemotherapy."

"I'm sorry Ed." I said, "Is there anything we can do?"

"I've been thinking," Ed continued, "I want to spend as much time with her as possible, before her time is up. I've been thinking early retirement, I've also been thinking of taking some time off- a sabbatical."

"Buddy- you need to be with your wife." Spike suggested, "Go, be with her."

"Sophie is making the decision for me." Ed admitted, "She wants to spend the rest of her time with her family as well, but at the same time, she knows this job is everything for me."

"And you've agreed to let her make that decision?" I asked, "Because don't forget- whatever decision she makes for you- you'll have to live with that."

"I know." Ed said, "With what Greg said, I know this is a lot to handle- but I've been thinking- even if its time off, I want Megan to be Team Leader."

"Why me?" I asked.

"The robbery call at GeeGee's- you were excellent Megan, and we all know that."

"GeeGee's got held up?" Brad asked.

"Shut up Brad, let Ed finish." I snapped.

"Meg, you were excellent at GeeGee's, you're exceeding expectations across the board. I'd trust you as my Team Leader, that's why I'd want you as Team Leader."

I stared down at the table. It was a lot to take in.

"While we're- talking about things…" Brad said, "Since I've started, I can tell that I don't fit in here. I've been thinking of asking for re-assignment."

"Brad, man," Spike said, "Of course you fit in."

"No Spike I don't."

"So what?" Spike asked, "Greg's thinking about retirement, Ed's going to be taking time off, and now Brad's thinking of leaving the team?"

"Spike what do you mean?" I asked.

"What I mean is, I don't have anybody- this team is my family. Without you guys, I don't know what I'd do. Lewis is gone, Sam's locked up because he assaulted one of my friends, and now the rest of my friends are abandoning me?"

"We're not abandoning you." I reasoned, "I'll always be here, Spike- I have nowhere else to be."

"It's not enough." Spike murmured.

"Not enough?" I yelled at Spike, "I'll tell you what's not enough- what's not fair! Every night for the past six months, my mom has been talking in her sleep to a man that's no longer there! My baby sister will never know her father! I've been having nightmares that I can't explain, and I wake up crying- Sara has to put up with that! That's not fair Spike. You have people who care about you, and you just shrug them off, like expired cheese. What's up with that?"

Spike looked over at me. For a moment I thought I was crying, because everyone was looking at me, but then I realized- I'm too angry to be crying.

"Megan!" Winnie yelled from the dispatcher's desk.

"Not now!" I yelled back.

"Megan- it's Sara, she says it's really important."

I walked over to the dispatcher's desk and took the phone and put it on speaker.

"Sara, this isn't the best time."

No answer.

"Sara- you there?"

"Yeah, Meg, I'm here." Came Sara's voice with a tremble.

"Sara- what's going on?"

"They have a gun…"

"Who has a gun?"

"Megan, I swear I don't know who they are. They want money."

I looked back to Greg and the rest of the team who were coming towards me in a big huddle.

"Sara- do you know where you are? Did they hurt you?"

"Megan…I don't know…."

"Sara- what did they do to you?"

"…Megan, I'm sorry."

Fear and anger started to swell up inside me.

"Sara- what did they do to you?"

I could tell she was crying as she said it, "They raped me."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yes. I know what happened to Sara is very strong, and very suggestive, but it was the only thing that I could properly fit into the context.**** Keep those boots on **_**A New Beginning **_**fans, because the last 4 chapters are the biggest 4 yet.**


	67. The Finale Part One

Sara looked into the masked faces of her captors. Tears were flowing down her cheeks, and her light gray mascara was dripping down with the tears.

She was lying down on a cement floor, and trying hard not to look to the unknown face of the man who had violated her.

_Please…Megan…Please…_she thought to herself, wanting this to be all too vivid of a dream and wake up.

But she never woke up. She kept crying.

* * *

><p>I stared transfixed at the phone, even as the dial tone rang out, as I went over and over the last words Sara had told me.<p>

"Team One- hot call!" Eddie took the liberty of yelling out, as everyone but me and him rushed to ready themselves and head for the garage.

"Megan…" Eddie started to say.

I lifted my sidearm out of the drop holster and racked back the slide, as I ran aside Ed.

"Let's go get those bastards."

* * *

><p>"Spike get a-" Greg started.<p>

"Working on a trace boss."

"Winnie, we get demands yet?" Greg asked over the radio.

"Received an email- they want four million dollars deposited into an account for 10762689 Ontario."

"A numbered company? Get a-"  
>"Requesting a FOI now." Winnie finished.<p>

I rode with Ed.

"Where does she live?" Ed asked.

"1489 Labelle Avenue, Apartment C." I replied, as I stared straight ahead.

"Boss," Ed said, "Me and Megan are going to the home, you and Brad go to her work, see if…"

"there's any grudges or retaliation?" Greg asked, "Got it."

It didn't take us long and we were at Sara's apartment.

Maybe it was because Eddie respected me, or knew that I was angry enough, but he let me kick in the door.

"Police, SRU!" I yelled out, as we quickly searched the 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment, clearing it for suspects.

"Everything is in order." Ed said, "She wasn't taken from her apartment."

"Nothing from the co-workers either." Brad radioed in.

"Winnie, put out an APB on her car- blue Ford Focus, plate Charlie Foxtrot Lima Romeo Eight Eight Niner."

"APB in process." Winnie said, "Got a hit on the number company- RentalMax- big time rental landlords- owns 80% of the rentals in the city."

Ed gave me a look.

"She doesn't rent from RentalMax." I replied.

"They got a head office?" Ed asked.

"Sending you the address." Winnie informed, "Check your PDAs."

Ed drew out his PDA and looked at the address.

"Greg, it's close to us- we can be there in less than five."

"Alright, tread carefully Eddie, we do not want to get Sara killed." Greg said, "Spike, any luck?"

"Not much." Came Spike's reply, "Phone bill is registered to a 10762689 Ontario."

"RentalMax." I said, as I got in the truck, and Ed started driving, "Spike- get addresses for all the units rented by RentalMax and filter with units that the utilities are billed to the landlord, and not the tenant."

"Smart." Spike said, "Might take a while. Lot of addresses."

"We're here." Ed said, as we got out of the SUV and entered a small office building and entered the office labeled with RentalMax's logo.

"Officer Perrasmith, this is Officer Lane, we were wondering if you could help us with something." I said to the front office clerk.

The woman looked up to me and replied, in broken English, "Sorry, no English."

"Then let's talk to someone who does." Ed suggested, as we walked behind the desk and entered one of the two rear offices.

Inside the office, a short man stood up as we entered.

"Sir, I am Officer Perrasmith, with the Police Strategic Response Unit." I said, "We need to know who has access to your bank accounts."

"What for?" the man bitterly asked, "Am I being investigated?"

"Yes-" I replied, "Because we received a ransom email from an unknown person asking for funds to be deposited into your accounts."

"I pay?" The man asked.

"No sir, you do not pay." Ed responded, "Who has access to your accounts?"

"I refuse to answer."

"Then put your hands on the desk, please sir." I said, as he did so.

I grabbed a pair of handcuffs and started to arrest him, "You are being arrested for obstruction of a police investigation. Anything you say or do will be used against you in a court of law- you have the right to legal advice from a counsel of your choice. Do you understand?"

He didn't reply.

"Do you understand!?" I yelled into his ear, as I slammed him into the wall.

"Calm yourself officer." Ed verbally restrained me, as two regular police officers came into the room and escorted the man out.

I rubbed my eyes, "I want this to be over."

"Are you going to be objective?" Ed asked, as he put an arm around me.

"Yes sir."

"I got a hit!" Spike exclaimed over the radio, "Three addresses rented by RentalMax, who also pay the utilities."

"Send us the list, Spike." Ed asked.

"Sent-" Spike said, "Ed, there's one right close to you- 1444 Elliot."

With the address in hand, me and Ed were on our way.

* * *

><p>Once at the address, I lined up the door sledge and rammed it into the door. Once it made contact, it fell down easily, like a domino.<p>

I pointed the H&K MP5A3 firearm into the house and yelled, "Police, SRU!"

Behind me Ed yelled, "Gun!"

With pure instinct driving me, I went to the left flank of the door, as Ed took the right, as two large pistol caliber bullets tore through the wooden porch floor.

"Flashbang and cover." I yelled over to Ed.

Ed threw in a flashbang, which covered our entry into the house, once inside, I restrained a woman, who was a few years older than me, as Ed searched the house.

"Not here." Ed said, as he came back to us.

I hauled the woman up her feet. Once up I calmly asked, "Why did you shoot at us?"

"You busted down my door." She stated, "I'd shoot at everybody who busts down my door."

"Then you're going to jail."

* * *

><p>Spike radioed in that he, Brad and Greg had searched another one of the three addresses only to find nothing.<p>

"Has to be the last one." I said, "We going in hard tactical?" I asked.

"We need to setup the cash drop." Ed suggested.

"What, why?"

"To make it look like we're complying." Greg informed, "That'll give you guys cover to get to the house, and take them by surprise."

"Megan," Winnie started over the radio, "Uniforms found Sara's car at a parking lot on Bloor with two windows smashed and the driver's door open."

"Crime of opportunity?" I wondered, "Seems too coincidental."

"Listen up then- calling the number that the call came from." Greg said, "Hello? My name is Sargent Greg Parker, with the Police Strategic Response Unit- who am I talking to?"

"My name doesn't matter." Came the reply, "You have the money?"

"Sir, that is a large amount of money you're asking for, we need some time."

"You have five minutes."

"Sir, who is your hostage? Do you know her name?"

"Her name doesn't matter- we just want the money."

"You don't know your hostage? Now that's something I don't believe."

"We're here." Ed said, as we silently pulled into the driveway, with Spike and Brad behind us.

"I analyzed the sound data from the original call," Spike said, as he got out of the SUV, "There's a bit of echo. I'd guess the basement."

"Alright, me and Spike as alpha on door entry." Ed commanded, "Brad will second us. Megan on explosive basement window entry."

"No permits, means no renovations- should be an unfinished basement." Spike said, as he loaded up a screen on the PDA.

"That we know of." Brad said, as he crept behind Spike and Ed, "People renovate all the time without permits."

"Alright, new plan then." Ed suggested over the radio, "Megan, get us eyes in."

"Copy that." I replied, as I belly crawled to a basement window and tried to peer in the frosted window.

"Windows are frosted Ed, going to have to use the silent drill."

"Copy that."

I pulled the drill out of my bag, as I drilled a small hole into the window, just big enough to get a snake camera in.

Once the hole was drilled, I fed the snake camera in, and pressed the button to activate.

"Basement unfinished." I said, as I saw three masked men standing up in an unfinished basement, "Three masked suspects- one with a knife, two with small caliber handguns- nothing bigger than a 9 mil."

"Our vests can take that." Brad replied with confidence.

"Nobody gets shot today." Ed said, "Boss, you get anywhere?"

"No, nothing Eddie," Greg radioed, "Two minutes, or they'll start to put pressure on."

"Meaning?" I asked, not really wanting to know the answer.

"I think you know the answer, Officer Perrasmith."

I closed my eyes, wishing good luck.

After opening them, I moved the camera around again.

"Eyes on victim." I said, as I saw Sara lying down on the concrete, "Lying down, appears to be unconscious. Looks like blood on her legs, get EMS on standby."

"Pull that camera out and get ready for explosive window entry, Bravo." Ed informed.

I put the camera on the ground, as I readied a plastic shape charge explosive and installed the blasting cap and wiring harness.

"Bravo ready- waiting for signal."

"Alpha entering silently," Brad whispered, "Await for delayed signal bravo."

So I waited.

"Alpha in position, bravo, on three, two, one…"

I blew open the window and vaulted in.

My mind told me to go to Sara's side immediately, but I knew I had a job to do.

Me, Ed, and Spike aimed and pointed our firearms at the three men, who surrendered immediately, while Brad went to Sara.

"We need EMS right away!" Brad yelled into the radio, as we finished putting the cuffs on the men.

As I finished double locking my suspect, and knew that Spike had a hand on him, I ran over to Sara's side, who was coming into consciousness.

"Sara…" I said, as I took her hand, as the EMTs started to work on getting her into a gurney.

The paramedics lifted Sara up and started for the stairs. My eyes met Ed's.

Ed's phone started to ring, but before answering he said to me, "Go- we'll debrief tomorrow."

* * *

><p>Megan had started up the stairs when Ed finally answered his cellphone.<p>

"Go for Lane." Ed said.

"Dad?" Clark asked.

"Clark, what's going on, I thought you were supposed to be studying."

"Dad- something happened. Mom passed out. I couldn't wake her up, so I called 911."

"Good job Clark, good job. Where is she? She still there?"

"No, she's at St. Patrick's." Clark replied.

"Isabel-" Ed started.

"I'm taking care of her."

"Thanks buddy." Ed said, as he hung up the phone.

As he looked up, he looked into his Sargent's eyes, as he descended the steps on the staircase.

"Go." Greg said, as he patted Ed's shoulder, as he passed him on the steps.


	68. The Finale Part Two

Sara looked up at me in frustration.

"I was raped," she said to both me and the paramedics in the ambulance, "I wasn't stabbed, wasn't shot. I don't need an IV. All I need is…"

"Do what they say." I said, as I held her shivering hand tightly, "Or I'll put you in a sleeper hold."

She smiled up at me. "I'm sorry." She admitted.

"For what?" I asked, "You did nothing wrong."

"I chose to call SRU."

"We would've been dispatched anyways."

* * *

><p>Ed drove to the hospital in the SRU truck. He drove with the lights and sirens on.<p>

Once at St. Patrick's Hospital, he parked in a parking spot designated for Emergency Vehicles Only.

_This is an emergency vehicle. _Ed reasoned, as he locked the vehicle with the key fob.

Once inside he made his way to the emergency room triage nurse.

"Hi, I'm looking for…"

"Sign into emergency over there." The nurse interrupted, "I'll get to you when I get to you."

"I'm just looking for…"

"Don't care. Sign in over there."

Frustrated, Ed continued on, refusing to sign in and walked into the hospital hallways.

After wandering the first floor, he came to the conclusion that Sophie wasn't on the first floor.

He looked at the hospital directory beside the elevator and found that Intensive Care, where he figured she'd be, was on fifth floor.

By then the elevator had opened and several people had entered. One man kept his hand over the door track, and he yelled to Ed, "You getting on buddy?"

Ed snapped out of his trance and looked to the man in the elevator, "No thanks."

Ed ran up the steps to the fifth floor. Once there he approached the nurses' station and asked, "I'm looking for Sophie Lane- is she up here?"

The nurse looked at her paperwork. "She was- just went down to the basement for a CT scan."

"CT Scan? For what?"

Without giving the nurse time to answer, Ed left, back in the direction he came.

As Ed approached the elevator door, it opened. Inside was a stretcher, and on it, was Sophie.

"Ed?" she weakly asked.

"Soph, I'm here. What's going on?" Ed calmly asked, as he went to her side.

"Edward Lane?" the doctor asked, "Why don't we let your wife go back to her room. Can we talk in my office? It's just down the hall."

"Sure." Ed complied.

* * *

><p>I walked alongside the stretcher that was being pushed into an emergency room stretcher bay. When the paramedics parked the stretcher, they left, leaving me and Sara alone.<p>

I was still holding Sara's hand. It was trembling now.

"I'm cold." Sara whispered.

"You lost some blood- I'll see about getting you another blanket." I said, as I started to leave.

"Megan." Sara said, "Don't leave me."

I leaned over her as I pushed her red hair over her ear, "I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

><p>The doctor opened his office. Once in, he took his seat behind the desk, as Ed took a seat opposite of him.<p>

"Sir, I don't know how to say this but…your wife, Sophie- her brain cancer is accelerating at an exponential rate."

"What does that mean?"

"It means she may not leave this hospital."

"Are you saying…" Ed started.

"Yes. There is a good chance your wife could pass away sooner than we thought."

Ed shut his eyes as he rubbed his face and bald head, as he absorbed the news.

He couldn't absorb for too long, because his cellphone rang.

He picked it up and looked at the call display.

"I need to get this."

* * *

><p>A doctor came to check Sara out. I stayed with her for most of the examination, but the doctor asked me to leave when she started the pelvic exam.<p>

"No, I want her to stay." Sara quietly said, with a hint of fear in her voice.

I smiled, "I'll be right outside. I won't be far."

I stepped out and drew the curtain behind me, as the doctor started the examination.

Then my cellphone vibrated. I answered it.

"Hello?"

"Megan- you at the hospital?" came Greg's voice.

"Yeah. Why?"

"St. Patrick's?"

"Yeah, that's the one. What's going on?" I asked.

"We're the only team on duty and we need you and Eddie back. Ed's at the hospital, and waiting for you in the waiting room. I'm sending an address to your PDAs- I want you and Ed to get there ASAP and start."

"What's the call?"

"Suicide intervention."

I understood why Greg called me, knowing fully well that I was well versed in suicide intervention psychology.

"Copy that." I replied, as I hung up and opened the curtain to peek in, "Sara, I have to go back into work. I'll come back as soon as I can, ok?"

"Ok." Came her weak voice.

I jogged out to the waiting room, where I met up with Ed. Together, we went out to where he had parked the truck.

"Nice parking." I commented.

"Where are we going?" Ed asked, as he got into the driver's seat.

I pulled out the PDA and read off the address: "17452 Alexis Street."

After I finished reading out the address, only then did I realize that I recognized it.

I looked over to Ed, who was staring at me.

"You sure?" Ed asked, "Suicide intervention at 17452 Alexis?"

I thought back. There would only be one person there.

"Step on it, Ed."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Don't get it? Read up on the previous chapters and you will. Remember- review!**

**AND- as a Christmas gift to my ever-so-faithful readers, I shall write a Jerra oneshot. See what I did there? Jerra!**


	69. The Finale Part Three

**A/N: Alright before I start, I do have to point out that this chapter might made a bit more sense to people who have read my Jerra (Jules & Perra) oneshot fluff fanfiction that**** I posted about ten minutes ago, called **_**Marriage.**_

**Also, I don't really know why, but I decided the final chapter needs a theme song. Now I'm not talking about a lame song I can write, no, what I have in mind is more like the acoustic version of the song "Born & Raised" by Alexisonfire, on their latest EP called **_**Death Letters.**_**Sounds almost fitting, doesn't it?**

* * *

><p>I had tears in my eyes. I had the right to have tears in my eyes.<p>

_Sure, I'm technically working and being paid, but yes, I have the right to these tears. Especially when it comes to what I'm looking at right now, I do._

"Mom- why?" I asked, choking on my words.

She looked back to me.

"Remember what he said- 'reunited in heaven'?"

With my gloved hands, I wiped my tears away. I nodded.

"I want to be reunited with the man I love."

* * *

><p>Jules laid back on the couch, as she leaned her head forward a bit to make sure Kristina was sleeping soundly in her play crib.<p>

She grabbed the TV remote and turned it on. She was quick with the mute button, so it wouldn't wake up Kristina.

Using the menus on the DVR, she navigated to her saved videos. She inputted a password to gain access to a password protected file. Inside the file were three small videos.

She clicked the first one.

The screen went black for a second, and then came back, as it displayed a smiling video of Perra.

In the background of the video, she could see her own legs, followed by Jules' voice asking 'What are you doing?'

'First video with the new camera that my loving wife gave me for Christmas.'

The camera turned to view Jules.

'I love this woman to death.'

Then the video stopped and it went back to the menu.

Jules pressed the icon for the next video.

'Got it!' Jules' voice said, as the screen showed the Eiffel Tower, in France.

From behind the camera came Perra's voice, 'Honey, I love you, but the camera is in video mode.'

'What?'

'Yeah video mode- maybe we should get a less complicated camera.'

Then that video stopped. Without hesitation, she pressed the button for the next video.

This video was in Saint Matthew's Church. It was perfectly decorated, thanks to Lauren Perrasmith, Perra's adopted sister.

The camera zoomed in and focused on three people at the altar- the priest, Jules and Perra.

"Julianna Callaghan, do you, in health, sickness, wealth and loss take Kristopher Allison Perrasmith as your husband in health, sickness, wealth and loss, until death do you part, but in heaven re-united?"

"I do."

Jules paused the video, as she had started crying heavier, but silently.

She picked up the phone from the coffee table and stood up and went upstairs and stepped out onto the 2nd floor balcony that overlooked the backyard.

She quickly pressed a series of three buttons, as she edged closer to the railing.

"911…" the operator started.

"My name is Julianna Perrasmith." Jules interrupted, "I live at 17452 Alexis. I'm going to kill myself- make sure my baby is taken care of."

* * *

><p>Jules had stepped up to the wide railing of the balcony that Megan built and put together.<p>

_Megan…_

"Mom!" came a loud voice.

Jules started to feel scared, as she closed her eyes and edged closer to the edge.

"Jules don't jump!" came Ed's voice from behind her.

* * *

><p>I ran up the steps, as I looked out the balcony door to see my mom standing on the railing, as she prepared herself to jump to her death.<p>

"Jules don't jump!" Ed yelled, as I opened the balcony door.

"Ed!" I yelled back at him, as I turned around, "This is my intervention!"

"She's my friend." Ed protested.

"She's my mother!" I yelled at him, as I lightly pushed him, although it didn't move him much, "Go check on Kristina."

Ed sighed, as he went back down the steps.

I stepped onto the balcony.

"Mom…" I softly spoke.

"What are you doing here Megan?"

"I'm doing what I was- what you and dad taught me to do: help people in trouble."

"I'm not in trouble!"

"Mom…"

"I just want it to be over Megan!"

I looked up at my step-mother, although she felt more and more like my mother more than anything.

"Why?"

"You won't understand."

"Why not, mom? Why? Because you know what my day has been like? I went to work thinking everything is fine, but everything isn't! Greg is thinking about retirement, Sophie's dying- I can't do anything about that, and I can accept that, because that is how I was raised- by you, by dad. And then to top it all off, Sara got kidnapped and raped. You know what that feels like mom- to have the person you care about, the person you love- violated?"

"It has to be this way." Jules said, "Megan- please don't look."

"Mom-after everything that has happened to me today, it should be me on the ledge, but it isn't, you know why? Because I'm stronger than that, and so are you."

"I'm not strong." Jules stated coldly.

"Yes you are." I said, as I started nearly bawling.

Over the radio, came Greg's voice. "Megan- I'm here. Kristina is fine. Everybody is fine. We're going to setup a high tactical suicidal extraction from the roof. It's a new move, so your mom probably won't see it coming."

"Mom- why?" I asked, not really paying attention to Greg.

She looked back at me.

"Remember what he said- 'reunited in heaven'? I want to be reunited with the man I love."

* * *

><p>"What's she talking about, 'reunited in heaven'?" Ed asked Greg, as him and Brad were getting together the gear for the high suicidal extraction.<p>

Greg thought about it for a moment.

"They're wedding?"

Both Greg and Ed looked over to Spike, who was on his cellphone.

"Spike, its things like that that will take you out of the running for Sargent." Greg pointed.

"No," Spike said, as he turned around his phone and showed them the screen, "I still have their wedding video on my phone. Surprised I didn't delete it when I downloaded the Intsagram app."

Spike pressed play on the phone.

'Julianna Callaghan, do you, in health, sickness, wealth and loss take Kristopher Allison Perrasmith as your husband in health, sickness, wealth and loss, until death do you part, but in heaven re-united?'

Spike ended the video there, and shared a grim face with Ed and Greg.

"She wants to be reunited with her husband." Greg carefully articulated, "I don't blame her."

* * *

><p>"Mom- you know how this works." I said, "We just don't sit idly by while someone is threatening to kill themselves. We always have a backup plan."<p>

"I'll jump before they get into position…" Jules said quietly, whether she meant me to hear it or not.

"Mom, you don't have to…"

"I do." She said, as she tensed up her leg muscles and squatted down, ready to spring down when she jumped up and released the tension.

"Mom, no!" I yelled out.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Say whaaaaaaaaaaaat? That's right- stay tuned!**


	70. The Finale Part Four

**A/N: Look down. '2 years later'…you're probably thinking 'whaaaaaaaaaat?' In which case, that's exactly where I want you to be.**

**Let's refer back to Chapter 22, and I'll re-post and edit what I call 'The Space-Time Continuum'.**

**We are sadly in the final season of Flashpoint. This means by estimation, we can assume that the first season of Flashpoint took place in the year 2007. Following? - because now I'm going to get technical. Wordy left Team One in the 4****th**** Season, however, if one would watch the episodes from season one to season four, we see the environments change seasons (as in fall, winter, spring, summer) approximately 3 times. **

**By this estimation, we can assume that Wordy left Team One in 2010.**

**Blah, blah, blah- Chapter 21 was in July 2010, and with the time modifier in Chapter 22 ('2 Years Later'), that would bring us to July 2012. Add the '2 Years Later' below, and the time in-between, brings us to approximately late November/early December 2014. I'm in the future now. **

**Get it? Got it? Good.**

**Don't get it? Leave a review or send me a private message and I'll see if I can dumb it down even more.**

**Sadly, this is the final Chapter for **_**A New Beginning. **_**Don't be sad- be glad!, because as **_**A New Beginning **_**ends, a continuing fic **_**The Middle of Us **_** will start.**

* * *

><p>2 YEARS LATER<p>

_Everybody told me this would be a good idea. Is it? To me, it's just a bunch of words that means everything to me, and nothing to everybody else. They told me it'd be the only way I'd heal- the only way I'd get better. I kept on telling them that I was already better. It's been almost three years since dad died. I am over it. _

_Or am I? No- I am over it. I have to keep telling myself that- positive reinforcement. Although, is it really positive to keep reminding me that I'll never see my father again, for the rest of my life? Ok, so it's not exactly ideal, but it keeps me grounded and checked into reality._

_Reality. It reminds me of what is real, and what is not. I keep remembering that shivering cold day when I was at the hospital with Sara, after she was raped when I received the call of my step-mother committing suicide. Was that real? You bet it was, because the memory of it is forever engraved on my mind. Hopefully Kristina will never remember that day. Speaking of Kristina, I should really check on her._

* * *

><p><em>Kristina was fine. Sleeping, actually. I love it when she sleeps. I don't mean that in a bad way either, but it's nice and quiet around the house when she's sleeping. Everybody is quiet for the baby, and the baby isn't making noise either.<em>

_Not like Kristina makes that much noise- she just talks a lot. Seriously, my sister does not shut up. She spent an hour yesterday talking about cookies. I blame the Cookie Monster on Sesame Street for that. I suppose I could talk for a while about some things too- namely my shooting range results at work, although its usually Sara who listens to it, as Kristina usually couldn't care less and would prefer to babble on all day of the newest topic on hand. Today's topic? Her blanket. Although today, she was less the talker, and more like the answerer. I blame Sara for enabling her. 'Is your blanket soft?', 'Is your blanket warm?' and other such questions were asked, followed by an overly enthusiastic 'Yes!' reply from Kristina. _

* * *

><p><em>I saw Greg today. He wanted to read this journal. Since it was sort of his idea I start writing here, I let him. He liked reading my thoughts, but he commented that I need to discuss what he calls the 'elephant in the room' that happened in the past two years. More like elephants in the room- yes plural. I pointed out that it's hardly a discussion, because it's just me writing out my thoughts. He was adamant that I do it, so here it goes. He suggested I start after mom's suicide call, so let's start there. <em>

_Thankfully, Ed and Brad were quick with the high tactical suicide extraction from the roof. They managed to literally lasso mom into a harness which prevented her from jumping. I am forever thankful to Ed for this, as he saved my mother's life._

_After that, Brad left the team. He had mentioned before about not fitting in, so he left the Toronto Police Services entirely and joined up with the local Royal Canadian Mounted Police task force. Anyways, let's get back on track._

_Mom went to the hospital. She was admitted into Mount Royal Psychological Rehabilitation Centre to combat her depressive mental state, in which the doctors quickly diagnosed her as clinically depressed._

_Meanwhile, outside the psych ward, Sara was recovering from being raped. She bounced back fairly quickly, but it took her a long time to return to trusting people, which prevented her from going back to work. While she was off we continued connecting and got serious. I moved in with her._

_Since Mom was still at rehab, we stayed at Mom's place on Alexis Street. Since I'm Kristina's legal guardian, I was under legal obligation to care for her. I didn't mind doing it either, because c'mon, she's my sister._

_There's a lot more to write, but I'll write it later._

* * *

><p><em>Alright. <em>

_So where were we? We talked about mom, and about Brad, so we're not even 30% done. Great._

_So Sophie's doctor was giving her about a month to live. Ed took the entire time off, and even personally appealed Clark's house arrest so he could be with his mother. After about 3 weeks in the hospital, Sophie succumbed to the effects the brain cancer was having on her body. _

_Me and Sara went to the memorial. It was very sad moment in Ed's life. He announced at the reception after Sophie's cremation that he was going to transfer into a training officer position at SRU. He had told me privately the reasons why. Sophie was the world to him and Clark, and he knew that for the rest of his life he wanted to be there for son, Clark, and his 5 year old daughter, Isabel. Clark was coping well with the death of his mother, although I had told him that if he ever needed to talk, that I would be available, as a friend. Clark was pouring his mind, body and soul into his studies and had completed a fast tracked college program and received his Bachelors of Science in Nursing. Just last month, he took a job as Day Surgery Lead Nurse at St. Patrick's Hospital. Isabel just started school, and is already showing traits of leadership and seems to be fairly smart too._

_That's enough sadness, although there's more of that to come. Let's talk about something happy._

_Spike. Oh, god, yes, lets 'discuss' Spike, aka: Michelangelo Scarlatti. The man with a new rank. I'll explain the new ranking later, but Spike loves it. So does everybody else. He told me that for the last 4 years he's been trying to ask Winnie out on a date, and that she kept on turning him down. Anyways, long story short, Spike doesn't take no as an answer. He asked her out again. This time she said yes. They've been dating for the last year. It's not against SRU Policy because Winnie is a dispatcher._

_And now Spike's rank. Well, Greg took his early retirement, although I hardly call that retirement. He stops in at the barn at least once a week, if not more, and he still sits on the Strategic Response Unit Board of Directors. What a guy. So Spike got Greg's position as Sargent, and got two more chevrons stitched on his shirts, and I got Ed's old position as Team Leader- both because he recommended me and that I was democratically elected Team Leader. At least now I can say Ed's catchphrase, 'Democratically elected, so I can make autocratic decisions.'_

_Speaking of democratically elected- that's a good story. Dean, Greg's son had completed his Criminology course, but changed his mind on what he wanted to do in life- he wanted to be an SRU Officer. He started with Team One a little less than two years ago, around the same time that Brad left, Ed transferred and Greg retired, with the same stipulations on how I started. He was Officer in Training Dean Parker, and all he needed was a years' worth of SRU experience then he could challenge the entry exams. He's a bit older than I was when I started, so I still hold the record of the youngest officer in SRU._

_I still have more to add, but my hand is getting sore._

_You bet it is __- Sara. XOXOXO._

* * *

><p><em>Thanks Sara. I guess she's been reading this, and decided to get in on the last entry.<em>

_Sara was able to go back to work about 5 months after her 'incident' two years ago. I decided to go with 'incident' now that I know that Sara is reading this._

_Not that I care, I just don't want her to be reminded of that horror when she does read this._

_About a year ago, when mom was still at Mount Royal, I had seen Kevin Wordsworth's memorial column in the newspaper. His disease had caught up to him. I didn't know him as well as I should have, but I went. I apologized for my mother's absence, although everyone understood. But not me. The doctor reported that she was doing well and was coming to terms, so I didn't see why she couldn't be permitted to leave for one day to be at the funeral service for one of her old co-workers and close friend. Greg explained that although she was doing well, that by informing her of the death of Wordy while she remained in the facility they could closely monitor her reaction, as there was a chance she could mentally relapse into a previous depressed state of mind._

_She had been at Mount Royal for a year. A year for crying out loud, and the most I heard that she was doing well. I wanted to visit her, but the doctors had a strict no visitation policy on my mother. They apparently wanted to control her environment, so they could properly diagnose and treat the depression. _

_To be honest, I'm getting sick and tired of writing my thoughts down. I hope I see Greg soon, so I can tell him his idea is stupid._

* * *

><p><em>Apparently, according to Greg, I'm being childish in saying that writing in the journal is stupid. Well, it is Greg- stupid stupid stupid. How much clearer can I make it?<em>

_Whatever- I guess I'm missing a few elephants._

_So, we had three people on Team One. Sargent Mike Scarlatti, as he prefers to be called now, although I continue to call him Spike because I know it pisses him off. Me- Team Leader Megan Perrasmith, also known as Textbook- the name Mike calls me when I call him Spike. He tells me that my nickname is more factual, because he doesn't spike his hair anymore like he used to. And finally, Officer in Training Dean Parker. We were one member short of being reinstated as an SRU team. To tell you about the final member of SRU, we have to back up 2 years._

_2 years ago, Sam Braddock was unemployed, and was currently rooming in a halfway house. His parole officer told him that he needed to get a job or he'd be going back to jail._

_He applied to several security positions, but they refused to hire him because of his new criminal record of when he assaulted me, and stole my credit card and my car. He was so desperate that he even spoke to his father about reenlistment in the military. His father put in a good word, but even the military didn't want him, because of his record, and that fact that Canada now had no active campaigns for a Special Operations Long Distance Marksman like Sam Braddock._

_So he came to me. Initially, I didn't want to talk to him, because I was still kind of afraid that he might try the same stunt again. He told me that he was completely apologetic and sorry for his actions in how he treated me. He said that he had taken the liberty of talking to the SRU Commander. Apparently the commander was OK with Sam coming back to SRU, on the stipulations that he needed to issue a written apology to both me and the SRU administration for his behavior and that I would need to rescind the restraining order._

_I accepted Sam's apology, and Sam came back to SRU. He wasn't scot free though- he was considered to be a new hire and would have to take all the examinations and interviews again. It took him almost a year and a half to finish everything, and once he passed everything, he came back to Team One as an Officer._

_With Sam back, we had four officers, and were reinstated for duty, except for one tiny detail. We had to have a Team Leader election, although I had been considered the Team Leader since Ed's transfer._

_Dean voted for me. Mike voted for me. Sam voted for me. It was unanimous. Even Sam, a man who had been an SRU Officer for nearly 6 years and had previous military experience wanted me to be his Team Leader. That meant a lot to me._

* * *

><p><em>Alright one last entry, and I'll be done all the metaphorical 'elephants'. I kind of see Greg's point now, that saying this is stupid, because in reality, it isn't. It helps me deal with stress.<em>

_So after her attempted suicide, mom had been admitted to Mount Royal Psychological Rehabilitation Centre. After a year in the facility, the doctor reported that she was doing well; although he had a slight emotional backslide when they told her that both Sophie and Wordy passed away. Because of this, she was still considered clinically depressed. Because of her emotional response to the deaths of Sophie and Wordy, they tagged on an emotionally unstable modifier to the clinical depression meaning she wasn't clear just yet._

_I had fought the system hard, and with several appeals, I managed a visit with my mom, on the grounds that it was emotionally improper for a mother and her infant child to have little to no emotional connection. _

_So Kristina and I made the trip to Mount Royal, which is in Sudbury, Ontario. Mom was doing well, although she had lost her girl-like innocence. You could tell that the rehabilitation was tough on her. She had huge weight swings. At the beginning of treatment, she had gone on a hunger strike, refusing to eat. It had been so bad; she had been moved to the local hospital's psychological ward so they could install a feeding tube. Other times, she had over-eaten and gained considerable weight. When I visited, she was a bit on a chubby side, but not as extreme as the doctors had told me it was. Her hair was beginning to go gray at the roots. At first, mom didn't recognize me. She thought I was an undercover nurse with a 3-year old girl._

_Maybe seeing me and Kristina was all she needed, because after that, Jules was out of Mount Royal in a months' time. She couldn't move back to Toronto just yet, as she needed to go through their month long public re-integration program._

_So five months ago, mom moved back into her home at 17452 Alexis Street. Me and Sara stayed with her for the next month, to make sure things were ok, and they were. By that time, mom's hair was nearly half gray, so I helped her dye it back to her natural color, although it's a bit darker than we suspected. She got back into shape, and started back at SRU as a dispatcher last month._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And thus ends the first segment of what I'm now calling 'The Perrasmith Saga'.**

**That's right. A saga.**

**So keep your eyes open for my new fiction,**_**The Middle of **__**Us **_**due**** out probably sometime before the year is up.**

**Cheers.**


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